


The Things We Do for Coin

by Thistlewhistle



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, Self-Indulgent, There might be ships, eventually, not for a while though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-07-24 23:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20022592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistlewhistle/pseuds/Thistlewhistle
Summary: A surly Au Ra and her companions travel Eorzea to slay monsters and right wrongs. But most importantly, to turn a profit.A self-indulgent retelling of ARR.





	1. A Brave New (and Somewhat Irritating) World

It was an unusually busy day in Vesper Bay. Several merchants had stepped off the ferry from Limsa Lominsa, and a couple had even stopped to peddle their wares. Among them was one of a trio of nearly identical brothers, each of whom cycled through one after the other, never seeming to meet. 

Aside from the merchants, the strange storehouse with a surprisingly discerning secretary had a couple of new visitors as well. Two young elezen, twins by the looks of them. They had gone into the storehouse before being escorted out by a blonde hyur woman and a tall elezen. Neither was an unusual sight around the area, even if their exact purpose down in that old storehouse remained something of a mystery to the general populace. They kept to themselves, and the people of the small settlement had more pressing matters to attend to than whatever they got up to in there. Such as rebuilding their homes after the Calamity.

Just outside of the bustle, young au ri woman sat upon a crate, watching men load many such crates into a rickety looking wagon. It was just her luck, she just had to buy a seat on a carriage with the biggest pack-rat merchant she had ever had the misfortune to see. Did he not realize that some of them were on a deadline? She tapped her fingers on her bare knees anxiously, what few white scales she had glittered in the blinding desert sun.

Among those waiting for the carriage were the twins, along with their guardians. None of them paid her any mind, which suited her just fine. They were talking to the blonde hyur woman. Azami didn't want to eavesdrop, their conversation was none of her business. That didn't stop her from catching some short farewells and a be careful or two. It wasn't any of her business, but she still couldn't help but wonder. What was their relationship? Were they a family, perhaps?

As the blonde woman made to retreat to a nearby building, she paused, her eyes fixing on Azami suddenly. Azami stared back, unflinching. Did this woman have something to say? Or was she not used to seeing raen around? Azami had been told that au ra of any description were rather rare in Eorzea. Although, to be sure, they were rather rare in her own homeland as well. Especially those with her pale blue skin.

The stranger screwed her face up as if she were in pain and clutched at her head. Azami wondered what she should do. Would it be best to go over and help? Or perhaps she should mind her own business. What did she think she would be able to do anyway? She had no medicine and wasn't any sort of healer. Better to stay out of the way.

Whatever ailed the woman passed, and the woman locked eyes with Azami once more. This rude hyur was starting to get on Azami's nerves. Why was she smiling like that? Did she want something?

"What?" Azami mouthed in the woman's general direction. The woman merely shrugged and walked away. Azami scoffed and chose to forget about the strange woman. Whatever it was she wanted, it didn't have anything to do with Azami. Unless, of course, she was paying. She could stare with a creepy smile all she wanted for the right price. 

It was an idea that had merit. People like that could be found all over Hydalen. Perhaps if adventuring fell through, she could look into something like that? 

After she gave adventuring a fair shake.

Azami glanced back over to the cart only to see that very little progress had been made. She took a moment to revise her assessment of the merchant. He was the slowest packrat of a merchant that she had ever seen. There was nothing for it. If she wanted to get on the road sometime before dark, then her only choice would be to go over there and get it done herself.

"Excuse me!" she called as she approached, "Do you need any help with that?"

"Oh, don' you trouble yerself, miss." the merchant smiled at her. Azami fixed him with an unimpressed frown.

"It's more troublesome to watch you fumble about. Get out of the way before you throw your back out."

"Well, help yourself." the merchant stood aside and let her do her work. The crates were heavy, but no heavier than what she had gotten used to back on the farm. She made short work of his remaining merchandise. The merchant helped as well, she supposed. Not that it mattered. What mattered is they could get on the road sometime this turn.

* * *

It was a familiar dream. One she had had many times before. 

She floated in a void. Somewhere in the distance was a light, blue and warm and safe. She couldn't be harmed in this place. No one would even think to try.

_Hear... Feel... Think..._

A mantra that carried her through these dreams. She wasn't sure what it meant. What did they want her to hear? The specifics often seemed to elude her. There wouldn't be much to do until she woke up. She relaxed and resigned herself to another night of being told to hear, feel, and think. 

A dark shape formed. That was new.

The shape took the form of a man cloaked head to toe in a deep black robe. He taller than she was, not that that was saying much. On his face he wore a red mask. As he looked at her, she knew. This man meant to hurt her. Not just her. He meant to hurt everyone and everything he could get his grubby little clawed hands on.

Well, not if she had anything to say about it. 

She found her footing in the void, and noticed for the first time how she was dressed. Or perhaps, her clothes had changed without her noticing? It was hard to put a finger on continuity in a dream.

She wore strange yellow garments. Definitely a foreign design. They were loose enough to allow freedom of movement, reinforced by armored plating around her vital points. A single long feather was fixed to a headband. In her hands she held hora the likes of which she had never seen before. Beautiful and ornate and made out of light.

With these weapons, she knew she could defeat this shadow man. She could save everybody.

"Hey. Hey you!" A sudden voice pulled Azami from her strange dream. The memories of what she had seen began to fade as her eyes adjusted to the desert sun. What had she been dreaming about? There had been... a light?

It didn't matter. Dreams were just that.

"Ya'll right lass? You were moanin' somethin' fierce for a while there." one of the fellow passengers asked her. Azami either hadn't caught his name or had simply forgotten it. It mattered little.

"Did... I fall asleep?" she mumbled, rubbing the tired from her eyes with the heel of her palm. She felt uniquely out of sorts. Was it the heat, or being on dry land after so many months at sea? Or perhaps the bumpy carriage ride was what was making her feel ill? It could be any number of things, she supposed. Nothing for it, but to keep pushing through.

"Feelin' the affects of the aether, I reckon." the man smiled kindly at her, as if she needed his pity, "You'll get used to it though. Don't worry."

She wasn't particularly. Either she would get better or she would get used to it. Whichever came first mattered little to Azami.

Suddenly, the cart came to a stop. Azami glanced over to see men in matching sets of armor approaching the cart. Some sort of uniform? She couldn't imagine a little cart like this catching the attention of local authorities.

"What's this all about?" the driver asked, sounding more annoyed than worried. Perhaps this was simply the way of things in this place? Who could say?

"Inspection! Men, search the carriage." a man who clearly fashioned himself as their leader ordered. 

They wanted to search the merchant's belongings. Was this a routine inspection? Did they camp some poor bastards out in this heat to check over every carriage that rolled by? That seemed like a shitty job.

"I'm just an honest peddler, friend. So... don't be too disappointed when you don't find nothin', eh?"

Azami watched one of the uniformed men barely even attempt to conceal a suspicious looking pouch in his hand before announcing that he had found something. She glanced over to the merchant only to be met with a resigned smile and a shrug.

"Look, sir! Somnus!" the subordinate soldier called.

"Just an honest peddler, eh?" The leader approached the carriage with a smug swagger, "Since when do honest peddlers deal in prohibited herbs? You're in a lot of trouble, old man. Unless you can pay the fine."

Ah. So that was the way of it, was it? 

"Business as usual." the merchant said with another resigned shrug.

Movement caught Azami's eye. Something large and scaled moving out from behind the hills with bow drawn. Their unknown attacker loosed the arrow just as Azami managed to call out. The arrow narrowly missed her new acquaintance, burying itself deep into the floor of the cart.

One of the soldiers shouted for the carriage to go, and the driver wasted no time in complying. The horsebird began to run once more, carrying them away from the battle that was quickly unfolding.

"Do those people normally try to set up honest merchants like that?" Azami asked.

"Price of doin' business." He shrugged it off.

So it seemed that this sort of tyranny could be found all over the globe, and not just in lands controlled by the empire. Fascinating. 

"You steer clear of those Brass Blades, lass. Like common bandits, they are. Only less honest." the peddler laughed. Azami made a note of the warning. They did seem like right bastards. 

"Thank the gods for sending those Beastmen to the rescue, eh?" 

Azami still wasn't clear on the difference between the so-called Beast Tribes and the Spoken races, but at this point she felt foolish for having to ask. It seemed like it was common sense, something she had never been blessed with an abundance of.

"Hey, seein' as how we still have a ways to go, how about keepin' me company? Them young'uns don't much care for conversation."

The peddler gestured towards the other two passengers on the carriage, two snow-haired twins who were either dozing off or doing a very convincing facsimile of it. They hadn't uttered a word the entire time they had been on the carriage. Perhaps they had the right idea. Azami wasn't certain that she wanted to be prattled at by a chatty merchant either. 

"Brendt's the name, and peddlin's me trade." Brendt carried on regardless of Azami's lack of input, "An, judgin' by your unusual garments, I'd wager you're one of them new 'venturers."

Azami looked down at her clothes. They were hardly high fashion, the dress in particular felt a little like wearing an empty burlap sack around. But they had been cheap, and Azami needed to save every coin she could. Was it truly so obvious? Perhaps that was a good thing? That people could tell at a glance that she was for hire?

"I knew it! Goin' wherever the wind blows, seekin' fortune and glory- Now that's what I call livin'." Brendt continued, " So long as you can avoid dyin', I mean. It's no secret that adventurin's risky business- specially these days."

That was true enough, she supposed. Even in her home village she had heard the horror stories. What happened to hapless adventurers who rushed into a battle they were not prepared for. The lucky ones were found, others simply vanished. Corpses laying forgotten in some dusty old tomb, never to be heard from again.

"What was it that first attracted you to it?"

The question caught Azami off guard. What was it? A lot of little things, she supposed. She hadn't been happy at home. Not that she had been unhappy either. Somehow she hadn't felt like she belonged in that place. The dreams. Dreams of a crystal that beckoned her. The need to see what the world outside of her tiny rice farm might look like. But most of all, the most important reason was...

"Money." Azami answered simply. She needed a lot of it and quickly. If she could earn the coin she needed, then it would be worth any risk.

Brendt laughed at her blunt answer, "Aye, there's no shortage of coin to be earned by an enterprising young lass such as yourself. Just remember though: there's more important things than fortune an' glory. Such as breathin'. There's no profit in bein' dead, an' that's a fact."

Azami kept her face straight as the man lectured her. Obviously there was no profit in dying. Who did this man think he was? Her father? She already had one of those.

The man continued to ramble on. Azami listened, or at least half-listened. A merchant like him likely knew all sorts of things about the world. Specifically, the city they were heading to. What was it called again? Ul'dah? What a strange name.

"By the by, is this your first time visiting the city?" Brendt asked, changing the subject suddenly.

Azami nodded. Perhaps he would have some other information that might help her. Specifically the sort that would keep her clear of any more of those Brass Blades. The last thing she needed was some asshole who thought he was better than she was because he had an ugly uniform hassling her. She had dealt with more than her share of that back home.

He went on for a long while, discussing the politics of the region to her. The Sultana ostensibly ruled the area, but was at odds with the Syndicate, a group of rich assholes who interfered with her at every turn. It sounded like a mess. Not one she would ever have to be involved in, fortunately. It wasn't like a small-time adventurer like her was going to be meeting with the Sultana.

"They say war is a gift to peddlers- need breedin' profit- an' though it shames me to say it, I'm inclined to agree."

Azami glanced up from her own thoughts. Had Brendt been talking that entire time? She nodded along as if she had been listening.

"Ah, at long last." Brendt perked up and gestured to a massive walled city that was sitting off in the distance, "Behold! Ul'dah, Jewel of Thanalan, where folk turn sand into gold."

Finally.

The carriage took several more minutes to finally roll to a stop before the city gates, and Azami all but hopped over the edge in a desperate bid to stretch her legs after such a long carriage ride. Perhaps it would have been better to simply walk all the way from that small port town? What had it been called? Viper Bay or somesuch?

The city was too damn big. Why would so many people gather in such a crowded and noisy place just to live? It seemed beyond comprehension, but it could also be a boon. More people meant more potential customers. All she needed to do was to gather up a couple clients, and with any luck word of mouth would carry and she could have herself a solid customer base.

"An' here's where we part ways, lass." The merchant... Bryan? The merchant. Kindly approached to pester her once more. "I'm off to the market to peddle my wares, then it's off to the highroad for me."

He reached into his pocket and drew out a small box. Azami looked at it with a curious frown. What did he expect to do with that? This wasn't some strange western tradition, was it? 

"Here, I want you to have this- by way of thanks for puttin' up with me prattle." the merchant held the box out of her. Out of reflex, Azami quickly waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly!" the words tumbled from her mouth before she could think to stop them. She coughed, suddenly remembering herself. With a dismissive flip of her hair she said, "I didn't get you anything."

The merchant had the audacity to laugh at her.

"Jus take it, lass. Sell it or somethin'. I don't care."

"Thank you." 

"You never did tell me your name."

"Azami."

"Alright, Azami., become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, an' I'll consider us square."

"Sure." Azami shrugged. She doubted that would ever happen, but if it got this man to stop talking to her and giving her giving her gifts... It would be worth a shot.

* * *

She walked through the city gates and looked around. The city was massive. Buildings of shining white stone and murals in the cobblestones beneath her feet. There was a fountain that appeared to be purely decorative. That seemed wasteful, given the scarcity of water in the desert, but perhaps she was wrong. Maybe people could and did drink out of it? She would make a note to observe the fountain further.

"Hello!" Something loud and pink popped into her field of view. Azami blinked and tried to get a closer look. It was a miqo'te woman, one with bright pink hair and a brighter smile. Was Azami making more friends already? Oh good.

"Hello." Azami nodded politely to her.

"I'm new to the city!" the girl bubbled at her, "Do you know the way to the Adventurer's Guild? I've been trying to find my way there, but I got lost and I've been wandering for hours."

"I..." Azami frowned. Now that she thought on it, she didn't know how to get to the Adventurer's Guild either. She had been planning on wandering for a short while, perhaps getting the lay of the land as she explored, before eventually breaking down and asking for directions. 

"Oh! Are you new in this city too?" The girl bounced as she spoke. It made it frustrating to maintain eye contact, "I know! Why don't we become friends? That way us small town girls can look out for each other in the big bad city!"

"I'm... fine... without friends. Thanks."

"What? How can anyone be fine without friends? That sounds so lonely! Unless..."

The girl leaned in until their noses were mere ilms apart. This girl was going to be trouble. Azami could smell it on her.

"You're one of those loner types, aren't you? Always going off on your own and being too cool for the rest of the tribe. Well, let me tell you something! That sort of nonsense isn't going to serve you in the adventuring business!"

"What makes you think I'm even an adventurer?" Azami asked with a frustrated sigh. 

"Your clothes."

Azami looked down at her outfit once more. Was it really that obvious? What was it about the outfit that screamed adventurer to everyone? She didn't understand.

"Oi! Adventurers!" somebody called. Azami and her new friend turned to spy a man standing against the gate. "Yes, you two. Come here?"

"See?" the girl said before trotting over to the stranger. Azami shrugged and followed her. Maybe this was just how things were in Eorzea? Strangers came up to you to tell you your business? It was probably just a western thing. She wouldn't understand.

"'Tis plain to anyone with eyes that you two don't know your way around here." the man said.

"I'm sure Pink here shouting about how lost she is wasn't at all a tip off." Azami scoffed at the man. 

"Oh. A pain in the arse adventurer, just what Eorzea needs." the man removed the strange tinted glasses from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I apologize for my friend here." Pink gently shoved Azami back a step so that she could be the one to talk to this strange man, "She's just grumpy 'cause she's lost and sweaty and stuff."

"Kami above, what have I done to incur your ire?" Azami mumbled to herself as the pair continued their conversation without her input.

"If I let you go wonderin' off down the nearest dark alley, you're certain to get mugged or worse, an' I don't want that on my conscience." the man said. 

Assuming there was no coin being offered, Azami wasn't foolish enough to go poking around dark alleys that she wasn't supposed to, but Pink here? Who knew what she might get up to without somebody to guide her. It was a good thing that this kindly stranger had decided to take on the job of guiding her. Which left Azami free to go off and-

A surprisingly strong grip latched onto her arm as she attempted to sneak away.

"That's so generous of you!" Pink beamed at the man, all while her iron grip prevented Azami from escaping. 

"Thing about this city is, you don't get nothin' for free." the man continued, "This is going to be a one-time thing, so listen close. Before you do anythin' else, you'll want to head over to the Quicksand, an' speak with Momodi. She's the master of the Advenurers' Guild, an' can set you on the right path. Just take those steps over yonder an' pass through the double doors. You'll find her inside."

"Thank you, mister!" 

Pink pulled Azami towards the doors in question. Azami huffed, but decided that it would be best to simply go along with it for now. The sooner she "escorted" this miqo'te to where she was headed, the sooner Azami would be free of her. If the brand at her hip was any indication, Pink was a wizard of some description. Which meant they would be heading their separate ways soon enough.

"Alright, alright. I can walk on my own." Azami protested, finally wriggling free from her grasp.

"It's lucky that man decided to help us out!" Pink bubbled at her, seemingly ignoring Azami's irritation with her, "Who knows what might have happened if we had wandered off on our own. I mean, I can take care of myself, obviously, but what about you?"

"I can handle myself." Azami brushed past her. This conversation was more than over. With any luck, they would go their separate ways once they had signed the proper forms and Azami would never have to think of this strange pink menace again. 

"Oh! I guess you're tougher than you look!" Pink continued, heedless of the clear end of the conversation, "Were you some kind of hunter before you got into adventuring?"

"Farmer." Azami answered pushing the door into the adventurer's guild open. 


	2. A Miqo'te and an Au Ra Walk Into a Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azami and her new companion join the Adventurer's Guild. Together they must conquor their greatest foe. Crowds.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust from the brightness of the outside to the relative dark of the inside of the guild. To her surprise, it was less of a guild and more of a tavern. Sprawling and rowdy.

Or perhaps it wasn't that surprising. After all, most stories about adventurers she had heard began in taverns.

Pink asked her a question, but her voice was lost over the din of dozens of conversations. Azami didn't care to ask her to repeat it, instead choosing to scan the area for somebody named Momodi. With a name like that, she was probably a lalafell. Which meant spotting her over the crowds of larger races might be something of a challenge. Especially given Azami's own height challenges.

If only she had been born a boy. Then she could reach whatever shelf she pleased.

Pink skirted the outer edge of the tavern, heading towards one of the counters. Azami chose to follow. It was a great circle, after all. If nothing else, they would rule out her being on the outer edge before wading in to the rowdy crowds.

"Why, hello there! Who might you be?" A surprisingly strong voice asked from behind the bar. It belonged to a cheerful looking lalafellen woman who had her hair done up in elaborate buns.

"I'm U'rabta and this is my associate..." Pink paused her introductions when she realized that she had never bothered to ask Azami's name.

"We're here to join the Adventurer's Guild." Azami supplied.

"Well then, you've come to the right place. Name's Momodi, and I own this fine establishment, if it please you. I also manage the Adventurers' Guild here in Ul'dah. So you might say that lookin' after green adventurers like yourself is my vocation." The woman said.

So the tavern and the guild were two different things? The guild did seem to be run out of the tavern though. Was Momodi running her bar, only to be tasked with managing the guild on top of that? That seemed rather stressful.

Momodi took a breath, seeming as though she were preparing herself for something, "And lucky for you that it is. Without someone like me to steer you right, you'd soon find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, caught up in business you don't understand."

Ah. A speech. Pink remained surprisingly quiet during Momodi's lecture, seemingly hanging on to every word.

"Like our conflict with the Amalj'aa, for example. They've been plaguin' the sultanate for nigh on, oooh... forever now. Then there's the Garlean Empire. None can say for sure what they're plottin' these days, only that they are."

Azami had heard that there was a Garlean presence here in Eorzea, to a lesser extent than what she was used to. Castrums built in various locations, but no Garlean rule outside of Ala Mhigo. With any luck, it would stay that way. Not that the Garleans would be content to keep to their castrums for very much longer. If Momodi was right and they were preparing to move, things were going to get a hell of a lot difficult for adventurers like her.

"Aye, the people drink and make merry... but underneath it all, there's worry. Worry and a lingerin' feelin' of loss. And little wonder. It's scarce been five years since the lesser moon cracked open like a giant egg, releasin' an abomination intent on turnin' the realm into an eight hell... So much was lost in the blink of an eye. 'Twas like the end of the world had come at last."

Word of the Calamity had reached all over the star. Even the people of Namai knew most of the details. Something, probably Garleans, had pulled the lesser moon down from the sky. Out of the moon burst a large and angry dragon that carved a path of destruction through the land until it was stopped by some brave heroes. Although, more detail than that seemed to be difficult to track down.

Who were these heroes? How had they stopped the monster?

"But then things begin to get foggy. Everyone's got their own version of what happened next- some of 'em, two or three..."

It seemed not even the people of Eorzea could be certain.

"You'd think people would remember somethin' like that- but the fact is, they don't. Nobody does.

There is one thing the survivors agree on, though: the part played by a band of adventurers who laid down their lives for a realm that wasn't their own. They fought valiantly, and like so many others, they never returned. Deeds worth rememberin', I'm sure you'll agree. It's just a shame our recollections of those brave heroes are as jumbled as those of the Calamity itself." Momodi's voice was heavy. Perhaps these heroes had been friends of hers, "Whenever we try to call their faces to mind, it's like they're standin' between us and the midday sun, permanently silhouetted... I'll be that sounds poetic to you, doesn't it? Well it's not. It's bloody infuriatin'."

Azami furrowed her brow. Was Momodi putting her on? Was this some sort of way of teasing the foreigner? She glanced to U'rabta who nodded solemnly. Apparently she was familiar with this part of the story as well.

"That's why they're called the Warriors of Light!" Pink chimed in.

"Exactly." Momodi smiled kindly at the girl, "Even if we can't remember them, we'll not let 'em be forgotten. They'll forever stand as a shinin' example of what adventurers can achieve. That's why I welcome new arrivals like yourself to our fair city."

Quite the example. Azami hoped that this woman didn't have such lofty goals for her. Helping people? Saving the realm? What a joke. Azami was here for one reason and one reason only. The whole damned realm could burn, so long as she got the money she needed.

"All I ask is that you lend a helpin' hand, and try to leave Ul'dah in a better state than you found her. If you can promise that, I'd be happy to let you join the guild." Momodi continued.

"That's the idea." Azami said. Provided those she could help had the coin.

"I want to become a great hero too!" Pink seemed fit to bursting with enthusiasm.

"All right, then! A promise is a promise, now! Anyroad, let's make this official. Go ahead and write your name in the register- neat as you can."

"Oh..." Pink's ears drooped as a crestfallen expression blossomed on her face. Azami raised her eyebrows. Somehow an expression like that seemed out of place on the cheerful girl.

"What is it?" Azami asked before she could think better of it.

"I never learned my letters. I can't sign my name!" Tears began to well in the girl's eyes as it seemed that her dreams would be dashed before they could even truly begin. No doubt she was imagining all sorts of terrible things. Having to return home a failure. The ridicule and scorn of her friends and family...

Azami didn't care. Not one bit. If anything, she was happy. This obnoxious child would be out of her hair for good.

"Would it be alright if I wrote her name for her?" Azami asked.

"I don't see any reason why not." Momodi replied. Azami took up the pen.

"What was your name again?"

"U'rabta Ohd." the girl answered as she rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve. Azami traced the letters carefully. She hoped that she had spelled the name correctly. The girl couldn't correct her spelling one way or the other. As soon as she finished scrawling the last letter two surprisingly strong arms were thrown around Azami.

"Thank you! Thank you! You're the best!" the girl cheered enthusiastically at her.

"Alright, alright! Get off!" Azami pushed and wriggled in an attempt to escape from the sudden affection, "I still gotta write my own name."

"Right! Sorry." The girl released her and motioned at the book, "Go on then!"

Azami rolled her eyes before signing her own name.

"Azami Naeuri." Momodi read her name out before giving a nod of approval, "Well, ain't that a charmin' name. Just rolls of the tongue, it does."

"Alright then Miss Naeuri! Miss Ohd! On behalf of the Adventurers' Guild, I officially-"

"Please, sir, be merciful! Twelve as my witness, I swear to you, I'll bring you your money!" A sudden commotion disturbed their little ceremony. Azami glanced over to the man pleading on the floor. He wore cheap clothes, worn out rags more than anything.

She took a moment to take in the scene. None of the other patrons moved to help this man. They all either pretended not to see what was happening, or looked at the man with open scorn. Whoever this person was, he was not well-liked. The rags he wore and his promises to pay his debts meant there would be no chance of profit in stepping in. Best to join the others and pretend not to notice.

"In the East, it is said that even a merciful god might be driven to vengeance if thrice blasphemed. Be grateful you were given a fourth chance to offend. You two, attend to this scum." a masked lalafell spoke down to the man, an expression akin to the sort that he might have if he found something unpleasant on the bottom of his shoe.

The man continued to plead as two burly looking men made their way forward. Azami noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and quickly caught Pink by the arm before she could get herself into trouble. Pink turned back to her with an affronted expression. Azami shook her head as a silent warning. Don't do anything that we'll regret.

"But we could help him." Pink protested.

"Not worth it." Azami explained, "You can't save a man from himself."

Pink's tail swished and thrashed furiously before her ears flattened against her head. She hung her head and shuffled back to her original position with a mumbled, "Right."

"Well, ain't that a sorry sight. Nor an uncommon one, if I'm honest. Don't worry, though- If you work hard, I doubt you'll end up like him." Momodi assured them, "Just the same, if you ever need a bit of advice about one thing or another, pay me a visit. Just don't go botherin' me every time you stub your bloody toe, all right? 'Course, I do enjoy hearin' a lady muse on the many manhoods of her acquaintance from time to time..."

"I can't imagine adventurers have much time for that sort of thing." Azami said, suddenly feeling rather flustered. She had gone into the Adventuring business to avoid such nonsense. How was she supposed to focus on what was important- money- if some guy was distracting her?

"Oh! Could it be that you've never had manhood troubles?" Pink teased. Azami felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Of course I have! I'll have you know that I am very attractive." she crossed her arms defiantly. It wasn't strictly true. The boys in her village weren't interested in her, and she sure as shit wasn't interested in any of them. If they couldn't even lift as many sacks of rice as she could, then what was the point of them?

Pink pat her shoulder in a gesture that she assumed was meant to be kind. "It's alright. You'll find someone someday."

"What are you still doing here?"

"Alright you two. I have some tasks for you." Momodi interrupted the argument, "They'll help you get to know your way around the city."

The girls decided to drop their argument for the time being, and turned their attention back to the guildmaster. A task from Momodi seemed like the sort of thing that they would need to focus their attention on.

"First of all, I want you to visit the Aetheryte Plaza. To get there, head west from here till you reach Emerald Avenue, then look to the north. You should see a gaint, floatin' crystal called an aetheryte." Momodi explained. Azami had never seen an aetheryte in person. She wondered if someone like her would even be able to use one. As if sensing Azami's questions, Momodi continued to explain, "If it weren't for aetherytes, travelin' around Eorzea would be a damn sight more troublesome than it is. 'Course, you still need to attune with 'em before you can use 'em, so be sure to do that with the one in the plaza. You ever attuned with an aetheryte before, Azami? If not, just lay your hand on the thing and you'll see what I mean."

"Once you've done that, I want you to visit the Sapphire Avenue Exchange, over on the Steps of Thal. Goods from all across Eorzea and beyond turn up there every day. You'll have no trouble findin' armor, weapons, or anythin' else a fledglin' adventurer like yourself might need."

Momodi cast a pointed glance to Pink before continuing, "You might say that everythin's for sale here in Ul'dah- as long as you've got the gil. Just make sure you don't pay more than you ought."

It was true. Pink did seem the type to get swindled. Hopefully she would be able to keep Momodi's warning in that empty little head of hers while she journeyed forth. If not... it wasn't Azami's problem. As soon as Momodi finished doling out the tasks they would be going their separate ways. 

"There's plenty as won't scruple to swindlin unsuspectin' foreigners like yourself, 'specially if they think no one's lookin' out for their best interests. Which is why I'm givin' you this letter. When you visit the exchange, find a gentleman named Seseroga and give it to him. He'll be happy to tell you about the markets once he's read it." 

Momodi handed the letter in question to Azami. She waited a moment to see if the woman would produce a second for the other new adventurer. After a pregnant pause, a certain intent became apparent. Was her first real task going to be to babysit this obnoxious girl for the day? What horseshit. 

"After that, U'rabta can head on over to the Thaumaturge's Guild, assumin' that brand on her hip isn't just for show." Momodi paused and scanned Azami up and down. Azami helpfully held her hands up, showing off the punching gloves she had purchased.

"I've heard there's a Pugilist's Guild in this city." Azami supplied.

"Ah, that'd be the Platinum Mirage." Momodi explained, "Jus' head on out that door there and make a left. It's on the way to the Thaumaturge's Guild."

"Thank you." Azami bowed politely to the woman. She had been more helpful that Azami had been expecting. Perhaps this whole adventuring thing wouldn't be too difficult after all.

"There are a few more things we must discuss, but that can wait until after you've finished my first round of tasks. In short, then: visit the Aetheryte Plaza, the Pugilist's Guild, the Thaumaturge's Guild, and the Sapphire Avenue Exchange. Then report back to me. Simple."

As the girls turned to leave, Momodi stopped them with one final instruction, "One more thing, You two are still only probationary members of the guild, so you can only take on jobs that will not take you outside of the city walls."

Azami glanced to Pink. Did she know about this? Azami hadn't realized that such a rule was in place.

"We've had too many green 'venturers go runnin' off and gettin' themselves killed right after signin' the book. You two are to remain inside the city limits until your respective guild masters say so." Momodi explained. 

"Yes ma'am." Pink chirped, offering a quick salute. Azami shrugged. Limiting the kinds of jobs she could take right now was frustrating, but she could see the logic in it. No profit in being dead indeed. They... She would simply need to work her way up to the more dangerous and lucrative jobs. 

But for now, it seemed as though she was stuck with Pink.

They exited the Quicksand and Azami paused to allow her eyes to adjust once more. She didn't know if she would ever get used to how bright it was in this city. Nor would she ever get accustomed to how many people there were. As she cast her eyes over the blinding streets she saw more people than she had ever seen in her life. Even at the markets back home there had been but a fraction of the people, and she had found that too noisy and crowded for her tastes.

But more people meant more customers. More customers meant more money. She could handle the noise and the slimy feeling that danced on her skin at the thought of being trapped in such an enormous crowd. So long as she kept her mind on what was important.

"Let's hit the market first." she suggested, "then we can double back and do the aetheryte thing and join our guilds."

"The guilds are closer, I think. Wouldn't it be faster to go there first?" Pink asked, pulling a map from the small pouch on her belt, "The aetheryte is even closer than that."

"True, but the market seems like the biggest pain in the ass." 

Besides, there was only the one letter. The sooner they got that taken care of, the sooner she could ditch the pink menace and move on with her life. 

"Well, you seem like you know what you're doing." Pink acquiesced with surprisingly little fuss. The had part was finished, they simply needed to find the man Momodi had told them about. What was his name again?

"Seseroga sounds like another lalafell name." Pink mused aloud, as if reading Azami's mind, "I wonder if we'll be able to spot him over the crowds? Momodi didn't tell us what he looked like or anything."

"If worst comes to worst we'll just ask around. I'm sure somebody knows him."

The market was somehow even more crowded than the main street. Hoardes of people packed themselves into the road lined with stalls and noisy merchants. What seemed like hundreds of conversations merged into a senseless droning cacophony, all the while merchants hollered over the din in an attempt to entice potential customers. 

The slimy feeling began to engulf her. Seeping into her skin and her hair and her lungs. Every accidental brush against another person layered another coat onto her flesh. It was too chaotic to make any sense of the muck.

"This is it. This is hell." Azami mumbled. Pink's ears had flattened against her head, and the girl had clutched onto Azami's sleeve. Azami would allow it for now. She wouldn't want the girl to get lost in this crowd. They would certainly never see each other again. Which sounded ideal, apart from the fact that she didn't have a letter of her own to talk to this Sesario guy. 

"Come on." Azami said, taking the girl by the hand as she began to push her way through the crowd. She could almost sense a small pocket of space up ahead. If they could make it there they would be able to take a moment to breathe. 

Finally, after what felt like malms, they emerged into a small pocket of unoccupied space between stalls. Azami felt as though she had finally emerged from the depths of the ocean, her lungs taking in fresh air for the first time in minutes. 

"I never want to do that again." Pink whined. It seemed that she hadn't been exaggerating about being a small town girl herself.

"We're going to have to in order to get out of here." Azami sighed, giving the girl her most sympathetic smile. It had been difficult, but they had survived it once. They could do so again.

Their breath caught, Azami glanced around. She noticed large boards covered in papers. Curious, she wandered over to examine them. The board seemed covered in postings for various items for sale. Equipment and raw materials and trinkets, each with a name and price.

"Lookin' for anythin' in particular?" A gruff sounding roegadyn smiled down at her.

"No... I was just wondering what this was?" Azami gestured to the board.

"Ah! First time in the city, eh?" the man chuckled. He wore a strange blue suit that didn't seem particularly flattering. Perhaps it was some sort of uniform? His smile was kind, "This here's the Market Board. People can put items they're lookin' to get rid of up here for others to buy. Mostly it's just 'Venturers who use it though."

"I see. Thank you." 

"Lemme know if you're ever lookin' for somethin'. Or any other retainer you see around. We can help you find what you're lookin' for."

"Retainer?" Azami repeated the word. 

She was familiar with the concept, of course. A lord had retainers. They served as advisers and protectors. It was a great honor to be selected, a sign that the retainer in question was the among the strongest and wisest in all of Doma. Once upon a time, Azami had dreamed of taking up such a position for her own lord. A childish fantasy. Farmers' daughters only got selected for such honors in stories.

Who then did these retainers serve?

"Aye..." the kindly man didn't seem to know how to reply, "'Venturers and the like can hire Retainers to manage their finances and Market Board postings an' the like.

"I see." So it was less a position of honor and more of a vocation in Eorzea? What a strange land. Something heavy fell upon Azami, arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"Excuse me!" She had almost forgotten about the Pink Menace who had suddenly decided to hug onto her, "We're looking for a man named Seseroga. Do you know where he might be?"

"Oh aye. He'll be that lalafell standing over yonder." the retainer pointed to a man who seemed to be standing vigil in the middle of the road. He leaned against a lamp post, eyes scanning the street up and down. For what? Azami couldn't say. Trouble perhaps?

Pink wasted no time bounding over to him. Azami sighed and followed after her. Apparently she had forgotten that only one of them had a letter of introduction to share with the man.

"Hello there!" Pink greeted the man with what seemed to be every onze of enthusiasm in the world, "Are you Seseroga?"

"And you are? ...Ho, newly come adventurers. But of course. Yes, I am Seseroga. What can I do for you?" Seseroga seemed amenable enough. 

"We were hoping that you could tell us more about the marketplace." Azami said.

"Ah, you would have me teach you the ways of the marketplace? Very wise. As for my fee..." Or perhaps he simply enjoyed the sound of his own voice.

"A fee? Nobody told us there would be a fee." Pink interrupted him with a pointed pout. Azami didn't feel the need to correct her. More than one person had told them that they would get naught for free in this city. 

"What? You expect me to do it for free? Surely you jest." the lalafell scoffed, "My dear adventurer, when you ask an Ul'dahn for a favor, you should at least try to make it worth his while. Judging by your garb, I rather doubt you could afford my services, but the fact that you offer nothing is laughable."

Once more Azami looked down at her outfit. Was it truly so bad? Perhaps she would have to look into getting something that wouldn't cause her to stand out quite so much. 

"Azami! The letter." Pink reminded her. Azami nodded and fished the letter Momodi had given her out of her bag. He all but snatched the paper out of his hands, sniffing with distaste as he read it over.

"Oh. Mistress Momodi instructed you to seek me out, did she? Hmph. Consider yourself fortunate to have such influential friends." he huffed, handing the letter back to her. Azami wondered what Momodi had on the guy to make him so complaint so quickly. Clearly the mistress of the adventurer's guild was a dangerous woman who knew many secrets, "I shall be brief, and you shall be attentive."

Azami glanced to Pink, uncertain if the girl was capable of being attentive. Well, it wasn't Azami's problem. She was sure the girl could figure out a marketplace all by herself. Either that or she would be swindled for everything she was worth and left with naught but the clothes on her back. Whichever.

"You stand in the sapphire avenue exchange, the busiest and most profitable marketplace in the sultanate." Sesaroga began in a haughty tone, "Being advantageously situation in relation to other city-states, Ul'dah's markets have ever served as both the literal and figurative centers for Eorzean commerce. All the great overland trad routes lead to our city, and the majority of maritime trade between Vylbrand and Aldernard passes through our ports. Because of this, countless companies and consortia have chosen Ul'dah as their base of operations. They see to it that this marketplace is awash with merchants and monylenders, day and night."

Azami tried to focus on the contents of the lecture, truly she did. But something about this lalafell was inspiring an emotion she didn't quite have a name for. The feeling of looking upon a face that begs to have a fist in it. His droning voice certainly didn't help matters any.

Heedless of just how much he needed a solid punch to the nose, the man continued, "Anything a man could ever desire can be purchased here- provided he has sufficient funds. Surely there's something you seek, Adventurers? A deadlier sword, perhaps, or a shinier trinket? Whatever it is you want, the exchange will have it. To the north, you will find merchants peddling armor and accessories, curatives and crafting materials."

He gestured to the south side of the street next, "To the south, you will find weapons, tools, and an assortment of other useful items for sale. Seek out a particular merchant, or browse to your heart's content. But do try to remain aloof should you find something that piques your interest. Decisions made in the heat of the moment are usually unwise, especially where coin is concerned. Ahem. That is all the complimentary aid you shall have from me- and far too much for my taste."

"Wait..." Pink looked puzzled, "Is... Would you have told us something more useful than that if we gave you money?"

Azami couldn't help but snicker. Shockingly, Pink had the right of it. What a strange and terrifying world to live in.

"My regards to Momodi. Now, off with you." he dismissed them with a wave.

"Hey. This is a marketplace. You can buy things here." Azami mocked as they wandered away from the lalafell, "That'll be eleventy billion gil please."

"Oh please. You are too filthy and poor to even look upon my visage." Pink joined in.

Their laughter quickly ceased as they looked upon the crowd they would need to wade through in order to make it through to their other objectives. Pink looked at the crowd with naked despair, while Azami scanned the area for alternate routes. She spotted a dank looking alleyway to the side and nudged Pink.

"Remember how that one guy warned us not to go down any dark alleyways?" she asked, "Let's go down that dark alleyway."

"But that man said-"

"Are we adventurers or are we adventurers?" Azami interrupted her without a second thought, "Let's go on a fucking adventure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, once more I found that this chapter was growing too large and unwieldy for me to feel comfortable posting here. I split it here and it will continue on into the next chapter. Or would you all like longer chapters? I'm still trying to get a feel for this.


	3. Full Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A partnership is struck as Azami and U'rabta find honest work.

Azami walked into the alleyway, away from the noise and the people. Pink could either follow or not. It mattered little to Azami. Inside the alleyway the air was a bit cooler, but smelled foul. Like sickness and sadness and hopelessness. A bouquet of scents that Azami was all too familiar with.

People sat in relative silence along the walls of the alleyway. Some looked up at her, their expressions varying from distrusting to outright glowering at her. Others didn't bother to look up.

The people looked wretched and miserable, and there was nothing Azami could do to help them. It was unfortunate, but she had her own misery and wretchedness to take care of. These people would need to wait their turns.

"Pardon my intrusion." Azami didn't feel right passing through their space without at least addressing the fact that she was intruding. One of the rowdier looking ones mumbled something about a knife. Perhaps the alleyways in this city were exactly as dangerous as advertised.

Someone grabbed her arm. Azami tensed until she realized that it was merely Pink once more, having gathered the courage to follow her into the forbidden alleyway. Azami picked a direction and began walking. The ruffian made no attempt to carry out his mumbled threat as they passed him by.

"Do you think we'll be able to find our way back this way?" Pink asked her.

"Who knows?" Azami shrugged. She hoped so. If not, perhaps they could find some easy work. 

They wandered through the alley and into a small, nearly abandoned, plaza. In the Plaza there were two staircases leading up to a great building of some kind. It was beautiful, but not as many things in the city were. The walls were carved stone that seemed to contrast the gaudy air of the city itself.

"That used to be a temple for one of the Ul'dah's patron gods." Pink explained, "But it got damaged during the Calamity. Nobody's been allowed inside since."

"Must have been pretty bad if nobody's been allowed in for five years." Azami commented. Pink nodded.

"It was pretty bad everywhere."

It was one thing to hear about the devastation that the Calamity had wrought from half a world away. It was another thing entirely to see it for herself. Even in such a small way. Pink, the temple, the people of this realm, they were all trying to heal from such terrible devastation. But after something like that, losing so much so quickly, would they really be able to? Would her own people? 

It was a sobering thought. One that she decided to put out of her mind for the time being. They had work to do yet and not much time to do it in.

"Let's go." Azami said, heading away from the temple and the dark thoughts it brought. She could hear a crowd not too far from their position, which meant they were probably on the right track. They walked through an archway and into what seemed to be a large building of some kind. Bigger than Azami had ever seen before. It felt like being outside on a street, but there was a roof above her head. In most places, anyway.

The girls kept to the edges of the crowds, wandering with no real direction. Azami was following her gut, and Pink simply appeared to be following her. Whether it would pan out for either of them or not was yet to be seen. 

As they walked, the girls spotted a Roegadyn, standing in the middle of the street and looking around. His eyes snapped towards any approaching footsteps he heard. His expression was in turns expectant then disappointed. Azami was more than willing to pass him by, but was stopped when she heard Pink's voice.

"Hello! Is something the matter?" she asked the man. Azami sighed and debated abandoning her and going about her own business. The debate lasted just an instant too long. As she took a step to keep moving, she felt that iron grip wrap around her arm once more.

"What could be keeping her? My beloved! Yellow Moon and I promised to meet at this very spot, but two bells have passed and I've nary a word from her. Gods, I hope she's all right..." the man wailed. 

"I'm sure she's fine." Azami said.

"But what if something bad happened to her?" Pink asked, her eyes wide and innocent. Apparently, she was unaware of the obvious distress she was causing the worried suitor, or she played the part well enough to fool Azami.

"As much as I wish to go off and find her, I simply cannot. What if she were to come in my absence? Please, would you search for her in my stead? It's possible she's somewhere near the Weavers' Guild. She always enjoyed watching the— By the gods!" The man stiffened, a terrible thought seemingly having just occurred to him, "Do you...do you think she's left me for someone more...dapper? I try not to look a bumpkin, but I've no mind for fashion!"

"We'll go look for her!" Pink promised, "You said her name was Yellow Moon?"

Azami grumbled as they wandered away. How had they gotten roped into something like this? It wasn't any of their business! Pink on the other hand, was practically vibrating with enthusiasm.

"Our first job!" Pink declared.

"I don't know if this counts as a job." 

"Sure it does! Messenger is a job, and he hired us as messengers!" 

"Oh? Did he promise us payment?"

"Well... no."

"Did he promise us a favor to be repaid at a later date?"

"N... no."

"Then it's not a job."

"Oh."

Pink pouted, deflating under the weight of Azami's unamused frown. Her tail swished behind her in frustration. She had been so sure that she had gotten them their very first job. Azami almost felt bad for crushing the girl's delusion. Well, the girl was going to have to learn one way or the other. Azami wouldn't be there to hold her hand forever. As soon as they reached the Thaumaturge's Guild their little partnership was over. Hopefully Pink realized that as well.

"Which way to the Weavers' Guild anyway?" Pink asked, her disappointment vanishing as quickly as it had come.

"How should I know?" Azami grumbled.

"Do you have a map?"

"No."

"Me either."

"They're expensive."

"They are!"

"I saw a sign with a spool of thread on it a couple yalms back. I figure we're headed in the right direction."

"Oh! That's so smart!"

It wasn't especially. Just common sense. Azami had been told that it was something she lacked, but if Pink was anything to go by she seemed to be doing better than average.

After wandering a while longer, they came across another sign for what Azami was assuming to be the Weavers' Guild. They followed the directions into a large plaza. On the far end was another large sign with the spool of thread on it above a pair of double doors. Lining the corridor leading up to the doors were mannequins clothed in Ul'dahn styles. It seemed they had finally found their way to their destination.

Pink stopped at a large glowing blue stone and held her hand out. For just a moment a light passed between them. Azami watched curious, but unwilling to ask for fear of looking foolish. Pink had done it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Was she supposed to do it as well? What had Pink even done?

"It's an aetheryte." Pink explained. It was uncanny how she always seemed to be able to sense Azami's unasked questions. Azami wasn't sure if she liked it or not. 

"I figured it would be bigger." Azami said. The stone was large, for a rock. Azami had expected the aetheryte that needed its own plaza to be massive. Bigger than she was, at least. This one barely came up to her hip.

"Oh! Yes, they are, usually huge." Pink stretched her arms up as high as she could as if to demonstrate, "But in big cities like Ul'dah they usually have smaller ones like these too. So you can get around the city faster. There was one outside the Quicksand. Didn't you see it?"

Azami had not. She had been too focused on the noise and crowds and people. Not that Pink had to know that.

"So... what am I supposed to do?" she gestured to the glowing rock helplessly.

"You just stick your hand out like this." Pink demonstrated, "And it'll do the rest."

Azami did as instructed, holding her hand out to the strange stone. For a moment it did nothing. It made a certain degree of sense, she supposed, that she would be unable to use these stones. Given her deficiencies when it came to manipulating aether in general. Or perhaps she had simply done it wrong? Pink had made it seem so simple.

Before she could ask for further instruction, something strange began to happen. A light tickle on the palm of her hand that blossomed into something not wholly unpleasant. A part of herself ebbed away, while something inside the stone crawled up her arm. The sensation passed as suddenly as it had come.

Snatching her hand away quickly, Azami clutched it close to her chest. She fixed the stone with a suspicious glare. She glanced to Pink who seemed more puzzled than usual. 

"I don't like it. I don't trust it." Azami mumbled. Pink giggled.

"Don't be like that!" she scolded, "Aetherytes are the safest way to travel! The only problem with them is you have to attune to them first, so you can't just teleport wherever you want."

"I think I'll do perfectly well walking, thank you very much." Azami huffed, turning her nose up at the weird stone. Pink shrugged and headed towards the doors.

"Suit yourself."

Azami followed after her, occasionally casting glances back at the aetheryte. Pink had said they were littered throughout the city? Somebody appeared in front of it, walking away without pause. Perhaps they really weren't dangerous? Azami wasn't certain that she wanted to find out first hand. At least not until she heard some solid numbers on how many people didn't make it to the aetheryte on the other side.

They walked into the Weavers' Guild, It was a mite smaller than Azami had expected. There was one room, smaller than the Quicksand had been, separated into three levels. The first housed the entrance and the counter. It was lined with mannequins and customers wandering about looking at- or even trying on- designs. Second was a lower level where it seemed the actual guild members. It was full of weavers working furiously, rolls and rolls of cloth, an uncountable number of spools of thread. The third level was smaller than the others, consisting of a raised platform where a well dressed Roegadyn stood. Azami assumed that he was the guild master.

Pink practically bursting from enthusiasm. She trotted straight to the railing and goggled at all of the weavers and their supplies. Did she enjoy weaving? Azami had never had much talent for it herself. Not for lack of trying. Despite her best efforts, her fingers seemed to be magnets for the tips of needles. 

"Why are we here?" Azami asked, gently reminding her of the new goal she had picked up for them. 

"Oh! Right!" Pink shot up straight and bounded over to the desk. She smiled at the woman manning the counter, "Excuse me! I'm looking for someone named Yellow Moon! Do you know where I might find her?"

"Yellow Moon?" the woman at the counter pointed to a woman who was fussing over a number of dresses, "That'll be her over there. She's been trying on dresses for the past three bells. Mayhaps you can help her come to a decision?"

"Thank you, miss!" Pink trotted over to the woman in question. 

"Byregot be good, just look at me! This hair... This outfit... They don't match at all! I look  _ atrocious _ ! What was I thinking!? Oh, I can't let Bitter Snow see me like this." Yellow Moon seemed to be too busy complaining at the mirror to notice Pink's approach, "Maybe that last tunic  _ was _ best, after all. Or no... Perhaps the blue."

"Excuse me!" Pink bounced on the balls of her feet as she tried to get the woman's attention. "Are you Miss Yellow Moon?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes. What is it? Can it wait? I'm very busy."

"A Mister BItter Snow was looking for you." Pink reported, "He seemed pretty worried."

"Bitter Snow is waiting for me? But I haven't anything to wear!"

"I think you look lovely!"

"Oh, thank you dear. Here, a little something for your trouble."

"Thank you very much!"

Pink practically skipped her way back to Azami, a self-satisfied smirk on her face as she held out two fifty gil pieces and a sprig of lavender. Azami held her tongue for once, allowing Pink to relish her very first job. Ever full of surprises, Pink plucked one of the coins from her hand and held it out to Azami.

"Oh... I couldn't. This was your job, remember?" Azami gently tried to refuse.

"But you helped me so much! Besides, we're partners now!" Pink pouted at her. 

"Ah... Pink... I'm not really... Oh... alright." 

The coin was forced into her hand, and Azami resigned herself to babysitting the girl for a while longer. At least until they both got on their feet. Having Pink around wasn't all bad. She was irritating and talked too much, but she knew more about Eorzea than Azami did. She might even prove a useful meatshield somewhere down the line.

"This is only temporary." Azami warned, "I reserve the right to walk away at any time."

"That sounds reasonable." Pink nodded, "Until then, I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Right. So, what's next?"

"If it is work you seek, the Weavers' Guild welcomes you. Indeed, your timing is impeccable." a woman's voice sounded unexpectedly from behind Azami, causing her to jump.

Azami turned to the woman, hand trying to still her startled heart. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't sew. All thumbs."

"Oh, no. Nothing like that." the woman assured her, "Well, mayhaps something like that if you were interested, but I had something else in mind for you two adventurers." 

"How can we help?" Pink asked, seemingly unable to believe their luck. Not even moments after they finished their first job a second had landed straight in their laps. As long as they were being paid, Azami wouldn't complain too much about this stranger eavesdropping on their conversation.

"A soirée is to be held with all of Ul'dah's elite in attendance. Once the invites went out, the orders came in, and that with a fury. Every lord and lady from Cape Deadwind to Cinderfoot is demanding the latest fineries." the woman explained her situation, "I need hands, and I need them now. Yet I cannot spare the time to go off in search of them. Would you care to aid us? I ask no more than you welcome to our doors any willing souls you might find."

"Sounds like something we can handle. How much are you offering?" Azami asked, taking the lead on the negotiations. If Pink had her way they would work for naught by hopes and dreams. They had lucked out with Yellow Moon, but they couldn't hope to be that lucky twice in a row.

"Fifty gil per recruit." the woman answered firmly, her tone conveying that there would not be a second offer. Azami frowned. That sounded reasonable enough. Or at the very least, she didn't think they had enough leverage to argue for anything more. 

"That sounds fair. So, you just want us to tell people that you're recruiting?"

"Well, you'll need to be welcoming about it. Come, show me your warmest welcome!"

"The Weavers' Guild is recruiting!" Pink bubbled at the woman who nodded her approval.

"Excellent! I daresay I would work for you myself. Now, you." 

"The... Weavers' Guild is recruiting." Azami said flatly.

"Terrible!" the woman responded, shaking her head more dramatically than she probably needed to. 

Pink made a show of looking Azami up and down before suggesting, "Maybe try smiling a little?"

Azami forced a smile for the critics before making a second attempt, "The Weavers' Guild is recruiting."

"That looked like it hurt." Pink commented while their client continued shaking her head. Pink took a moment to think before throwing out another idea, "Here just do what I do! The Weavers' Guild is recruiting!"

"The Weavers' Guild is recruiting!" Azami did her best to match the enthusiastic tone. Pink wasn't wrong. It did hurt to do it. Not on a physical level, but something deeper. Her very soul rejected the loud, cheerful tone. She quickly curled in on herself, "People are staring at me, aren't they?"

"Ah... What if I did the welcoming, and you helped me pick people that needed welcomed?" Pink suggested.

"Yes! A wonderful idea! Now hurry off! We need those people!" the woman shoo'd them away. Pink grabbed Azami's hand and began to trot towards the door. 

"Wait! Who should we tell them to talk to if they're interested?" Azami asked.

"Tell them to either go to the desk or talk to Julianna."

As they entered back onto the street, Pink began to scan for potential targets. Azami spotted two women standing near a display. She pointed Pink in their direction and gave her a gentle shove. Without missing a beat, Pink bounded over to them like an excited puppy.

"The Weavers' Guild is recruiting!" she announced. The girls seemed enthusiastic enough about the prospect. Azami walked over to join them. As she explained where they could go to join the guild Pink wandered off to find her next recruit. 

"Weavin' work? Take a look at me, friend. I'm a bloody guard, and on duty no less!" a voice boomed. Azami turned to see Pink had decided to turn her charms towards one of the Brass Blades. Azami quickly trotted over to gently guide the girl away.

"Sorry about her. It's her first job, and she's very enthusiastic." Azami apologized to him quickly, taking Pink by the shoulders and aiming her at some civilians on the other side of the plaza. She released the girl and watched her trot off to talk to less threatening types.

"'S'allright, Lass. Just move along." the blade waved her off. Azami nodded and followed after her companion. It wasn't until she was certain that they were out of earshot that she began to scold the girl.

"You have to be more careful." she sighed, "Especially around those Brass Blade types. They're bad news."

"Oh... I didn't realize." Pink said, glancing back to the Blade she had been pestering. "He doesn't look so bad."

"Maybe they all aren't bad, but some of them are no better than common bandits. It's not something you should take a risk with if you don't have to."

They asked around the plaza for a while longer before deciding that they had had enough. Aside from the two who had seemed interested, they hadn't had any further bites. Perhaps everyone who wanted to be a weaver was already a member of the guild. Who could say? 

They returned to Julianna to retrieve their measly one hundred gil. Julianna was already at work doling out tasks for her new recruits. She smiled at them as they returned, "I only hope their zeal for fashion will show in their efforts for the guild. If you've any more time to spare, I believe Aethelwine has a task he needs assistance with."

"Something in a cream...? Oh, whatever shall I do?" the man in question was fretting over some papers. As they approached, it became clear that they were, in fact, sketches. What was odd was that they all seemed to be in black and white. Azami had assumed that weavers would work the color into the design of the dresses while designing the dress itself. Perhaps she simply didn't know as much about weaving as she thought she did?

"What seems to be the matter, Mister?" Pink asked, brazenly peeking at the sketches.

"This dress... I just can't seem to finish it. Oh, the design is flawless. Absolutely flawless, of that I have no doubt. But I simply cannot settle on a color for the life of me!" the man complained. 

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

“How would you girls like to do some field research for me?” He asked after a long pause, “Go ask people what they think the most fashionable color is this season. Whenever you’re finished, please call on Leucu of the alchemists’ Guild. She said a wizard with dyes.”

“I assume we can expect to be paid for our services?” Azami asked before Pink could agree without setting terms. 

“I haven’t made much to spare at the moment. I suppose fifty gil each would be reasonable?”

He would suppose wrong, but Azami would take what she could get. A guaranteed job now was better than a prospective job later. 

“That’s sounds reasonable. You said we were to call upon Leucu when we’ve finished?”

“Yes. I will send word ahead to let her know to expect you.”

Who’s was he going to send to do that? She supposed that’s it didn’t matter. So long as they got their pay in the end. 

Pink led the way, having decided to be the one to ask the questions. Azami was tasked with recordings the results. It seemed the most equitable way to divvy up the tasks. 

“The most popular color of late? Well, all colors have their merits, of course. But, if pressed, I'd have to say red.” the first responder said. Azami jotted the color down quickly while Pink scanned for another target.

Other answers were less helpful. One particularly disgusting lalafell's answer was, "Why, any color is perfectly fine for a dress, you silly thing. So long as it comes off easily at the end of the night!"

Azami resisted the urge to punt the man off the stairs as he leered at her bubbly companion, and marked him down as "no preference". A frustrating number of people echoed his sentiments. 

"What color is in fashion? Well, I must say, I'm just back from Gridania, and I find there's a certain verve to verdant livery..." one responder answered. When he realized that his flowery nonsense was getting them nowhere he sighed, " _ Green _ , you bloody idiot!"

"What the fuck is green?" she leaned over to Pink and whispered as they walked away.

"It's... a color... You know? Blue and yellow mixed together?" Pink giggled at her. Azami frowned and shook her head.

"It's... here. I'll show you." Pink rifled around her own bag for some kind before producing a small glass vial. Inside was some sort of potion.

"That's definitely... 青." 

"No... it's green. I promise." Pink said, shoving the potion back into her bag, "You call this blue?"

"青 is 青. Eorzea is so weird." Azami shook wrinkled her nose. They continued wandering around asking people for their opinions for another bell. The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky. Azami wondered if the guilds would even still be open by the time they finally got around to visiting them.

"Do you think we have enough responses?" Pink changed the subject. 

Azami looked over the page of notes that she had collected. There were a lot of votes for the classics. Reds and whites and blacks. Yellow and green received fewer votes, but seemed to be holding a respectable fourth and fifth place. There were a few oddballs, such as "a motley of red and green overlaid with stripes of purple and dark brown". Azami didn't know what that was, but somehow she didn't think it was going to win the popularity contest.

"I think this should be more than enough." she confirmed, "Do you know where the Alchemists' Guild is?"

"Not a clue!"

Azami sighed and picked a man in shining white armor out of the crowd. He had been standing in that spot since before they had ventured up the stairs to the upper levels. Some sort of guard perhaps? She nodded to him, "Go ask that guy for directions."

"Oh! Good idea!" Pink bounded off to accost the man. They had an animated conversation with a lot of pointing on the man's part and much bouncing on Pink's. Eventually he had either given her what she needed or scared her off because she trotted back to Azami as quickly as she had left, 

"It's down the next corridor!" she reported, beginning to wander off again. Azami followed after, holding the notebook to her chest. She wished that Pink wouldn't wander quite so quickly in these crowds. While it was easy to spot her, thanks to her brightly colored hair, it was still an inconvenience. 

They wandered into another darker corridor. The air felt cooler, and the crowds were thinner. Azami wondered why. If the Alchemists' Guild truly was here, she imagined that they would have crowds of adventurers lining up to order potions and other such medicines. Or perhaps the Alchemists' guild only sold their stock to merchants who went on to sell them at a markup? Azami made a note to look into it at a later date. 

If they were going to be adventuring out beyond the walls, something Azami hoped they would be able to work up to sooner rather than later, they were going to need potions. As well as better gear, but she would be able to work with what she had for the time being. While she understood the dangers, Azami had only seen marmots and shrews anywhere near the gates. Somehow she thought that she could fend off a few shrews with little trouble, even untrained as she was.

They passed by a large fountain and another aetheryte that Pink insisted they stop and attune to. Azami grumbled as the blue light tickled her palm. She still didn't trust these strange crystals, no matter how safe Pink told her they were. They made her feel strange, and that was more than reason enough to mistrust them.

"Do you remember who we were supposed to talk to?" Azami asked as they entered the guild. 

"It's Leucu." Pink said. Azami nodded and turned to the woman a the counter.

"Excuse me. We're here to see Leucu." 

The woman and pointed to a woman standing among some strange looking equipment. As they walked over to meet their quarry, they spotted a man loading strange ingredients into a stranger device. Moss and bat wings and toadstools and crystals. The machine hissed and whistled as it worked. Alchemy was a curious art, it seemed.

"Pardon us!" Pink greeted the woman with her customary bright smile, "Are you Miss Leucu?"

The woman turned from her work and looked them over. She straightened her glasses and said, "You are here on behalf of the Weavers' Guild, are you not? Yes, Aethelwine said you'd be along. Well, what color is it to be, then?"

Azami handed the notebook over for her to inspect. The woman looked over the tally marks and hummed, "It's by no means a resounding victory, but it seems that red it shall be."

She shut the book and handed it back to Azami. A grin began to creep over the woman's face as she began to silently run numbers. Her eyes glinted with a ferocity Azami had only seen on the battlefield, "I have some catalysts I've been saving for just such an occasion. Mark my words: I'm going to concoct the most vibrant red Ul'dah has ever seen!"

"Good luck with that." Azami nodded to the woman. She stared at her expectantly for a long moment. When the payment she had been promised was not produced, Azami held out her palm.

"Oh... yes. This trifle." The woman handed Azami two fifty gil pieces, "Now, off with you. I've work to do." 

Azami passed Pink her share as they turned to leave the guild. 

"Yes, yes...  _ Yes _ ! At last, my work is complete! Mark my words: this formula will revolutionize alchemy as we know it!" she heard a man shout. Somehow, Azami didn't think it was a strange thing to hear in a place such as this.

Pink had already trotted over to the man to find what had him so excited. She, no doubt, wanted to be excited as well. Azami noted that the man was the same one she had seen making that strange concoction from before. 

"Wow! What did you do, Mister?" Pink bubbled at him.

He held up a vial of his potion for her to inspect, "With just a sip of this tonic, even raging fevers will be instantly extinguished! But I must needs test it, adventurer!"

"Can I help?" 

"Yes, of course! I have just the subject in mind, but I need someone to deliver it while I create more of the tonic. I bid you take this batch to Pearl Lane, to a man there named Landebert. He is trusted by the other refugees."

"Alright! I can take care of that."

Azami decided that it was time for her to step in, "For a price, of course."

"Oh! Yes. I would like gil please." Pink said, eyes wide with confusion. Had she forgotten already? The alchemist sighed and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Don't you want to help for the sake of advancing-"

"Advancing your alchemic arts won't put food on my table." Azami held her hand up to stop him, "Look, just give us a hundred gil and we'll be on our way to deliver the tonic. Or is advancing your art truly worth so little to you?"

The alchemist grumbled something that Azami didn't care to hear as he fished in his pockets for enough gil pieces to make them go away. Azami looked at him with an impassive frown. He could grumble all he wanted so long as she got paid. He placed a collection of small ten and five piece coins in her outstretched palm before handing her the vial.

"You said we're looking for a Landebert?"

"Yes. Persuade this Landebert to take my tonic and give it to his people."

"It was a pleasure doing business with you." Azami motioned for Pink to follow her as they left.

"Aren't we usually supposed to take payment after the delivery?" Pink asked as they left the guild.

"Usually, but... I didn't trust that guy not to screw us." Azami replied, handing Pink's share to her, "And it's not like we can take payment from the refugees."

"Oh?" Pink was smirking, "So maybe you do have a heart in that chest of yours."

"Don't look at me like that." Azami huffed, "I just don't think they would have enough to pay us. That's all."

"Whatever you say."

They retraced their steps back to the alley where they had spotted the Ala Mhigan refugees all those bells ago. It seemed a good a place to start looking as any. The refugees hadn't moved from their makeshift encampment. Azami wasn't certain if she was surprised or not.

Without prompting, Pink walked over to one of the refugees and asked, "Hello! Do you know where I could find a Mister Landebert?"

"Who wants to know?" the highlander glared down at her.

"I'm U'rabta! And this is my friend Azami!" Pink introduced them, "We're here to deliver medicine on behalf of... actually, I don't think we ever got his name."

"I'm Landebert." a man offered, motioning for them to join him. 

"Medicine for your sick." Azami said, handing the vial to him, "It's not much, but he says that there's more on the way."

"Hah. We're not fools, lass. We know full well what that bastard Alewyn is up to." Landebert smiled bitterly, "But we'll accept his medicine nonetheless. Look at us- beggars can't be choosers. Might be as it's a mere experiment to him, but to us it's a matter of life and death. If we've got to choose between this bastard's swill and nothing at all, is it really a choice?"

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Pink asked. She shot a warning glance to Azami, as if to warn her not to demand payment. Azami shrugged. She didn't mind doing a few jobs for free every once in a while. Good will was a form of payment all its own. Who knew when they may have need of an extra pair of eyes or ears at some point in the future?

"Ye've got a good heart, lass, but no. Unless you've got yourself the ear of the Syndicate, there isn't aught you can do for us." 

"Still... There must be something. If you ever think of anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Pink's tail flicked with frustration. She must not have been familiar with the feeling of being powerless. It was a bitter taste, one that Azami was all too used to. As cruel as it seemed, Pink would simply have to acclimate to the taste as well.

"We should be off. We've still tasks ahead." Azami reminded the girl gently.

"A moment, adventurers. Few come here by choice, and fewer still bearing medicine. Your kindness shouldn't go unrewarded." Landebert stopped them. He picked up an old looking vase, one with a large crack running down the side, "This vase is important to us, but I want you to have it. It's just some old pottery, I know, but it might be valued by...collectors of cultural artifacts. There are men who are willing to pay good coin for such objects. If you go to the Sapphire Avenue Exchange, chances are you'll find one of them."

"We couldn't possibly accept such a thing." Azami said, "If it's as valuable as you say... your people have more need of it than we do." 

Pink perked up, "Oh! I've had an idea! What if we went and sold the pot for you?"

"They may be more willing to buy at a higher price if we were the ones asking." Azami nodded. That seemed like a reasonable plan of action for once. They would fetch the highest price they could, and pass the gil along to the refugees.

"The notion has merit." Landebert admitted, he passed the pot to Pink, "Very well, I shall entrust you with this task, adventurers."

"We shall return as soon as we can." Pink promised, leading the way back into the noisy street. They forced their way through the crowds, scanning stalls for anyone who seemed interested in an old piece of pottery. Azami reached her hand out to grab Pink's shoulder when she spotted a likely target. Pink nodded, and they pushed their way through to the stall.

"Welcome,  _ welcome _ ! What might discerning lady like yourselves be looking for today?" the shopkeeper asked, his voice thick with false kindness. Pink held out the vase.

"We were looking to sell this, please." she said.

"Permit me to examine this vase of yours." He said, gently taking the piece from Pink. He looked it over before handing it back to her with a disgusted frown, "I hope you did not spend too much coin on this trash!"

Pink bristled. Azami could almost feel the rage radiating off her, and for once she couldn't help but agree. Yes, the vase was ugly and broken, but it wasn't trash! It was the hopes of all of those people. How could he look upon something like that and call it trash? 

"A flood of like items brought in by refugees has destroyed what demand once existed. The markets are fickle, my friend. If you lose sight of current trends, you stand to lose everything." the man explained to them slowly as if they were children. Azami wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug smile from his face, but now wasn't the time. They would need to find a buyer for the vase one way or the other.

"Look, surely the vase must be worth something. If not for its historic value, then... for materials?" she suggested. He scoffed at her.

"It isn't even fit to be a chamberpot." 

"Come on, Pink." Azami said, tiring of the man quickly, "We'll just have to find another buyer."

"Yeah. Surely somebody will want it." Pink agreed. 

They set out once more, braving the crowds to stop by every single stall. Each of them turned the girls away with a similar story. The pot was worth nothing. Less than nothing, according to some. They shuffled off to the quiet place near the market boards to discuss their next move.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Azami asked, "We can't just go back empty-handed."

"I... I have an idea." Pink chewed her lip a moment before adding, "But you're not going to like it."

"What's your idea?"

Pink held her share of the gil they had earned running errands out, "We need to keep the vase."

Azami sighed and reached into her own coinpurse. Pink was right. She didn't like this plan. There would be other jobs, she reminded herself. Three hundred gil wasn't much, it wasn't even a drop in the bucket as far as Azami was concerned. But it might be enough for the refugees to buy something decent to eat for once. 

She handed the gil over to Pink. "Give me the vase and go, before I change my mind."

Pink grinned at her, trotting off towards the alleyway. As she rounded the corner and faded from sight, Azami sat back on a bench and reached into her bag. From within the contents she withdrew a single yellow ribbon. She traced the object with her fingers. It was going to be alright. There would be other jobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally the bit about blue vs. green was going to be blue vs. purple. I remember seeing in a Japanese Ammo with Misa video that the Japanese word 青 used to encompass not only blue and green, but purple and grey as well. But I googled it for minutes and that's the only mention I could find of it. So I switched it to green.
> 
> On another note, I did get another idea for a fic I want to write. I've already got the outline hammered out, so I may have a chapter of that up sometime during the week. I say, having not started the other really cool idea that I want to do, and writing six thousand words about two idiots faffing about doing side quests instead.


	4. A Series of Poor Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azami makes friends, U'rabta pokes her nose where it doesn't belong, the girls finally join their respective guilds.

It wasn’t long before Pink finally returned. Azami looked her over and noted a distinctly self-satisfied smirk. It looked like the refugees had accepted their coin. 

Azami sighed and stood to greet her. “Alright. We still need to find the aetheryte plaza and our respective guilds. No more getting distracted.”

“Right!” Pink nodded, no doubt already plotting their next distraction. 

As the day had gone on, the crowds at the market had thinned somewhat. They made it through to archway they had entered the markets through so many bells ago without half as much fuss as passing through in the other direction. As they began the long trek back towards their ultimate goal, Pink stopped her and pointed. 

“Aetheryte! Aetheryte! Go go go!” She cheered with frankly unnecessary enthusiasm. Azami grumbled, but did as she was asked. 

“What does the Aetheryte plaza look like, anyway?” Azami asked. Pink had said that the big crystal would be massive. Surely she would be able to spot something that large over the roofs of the buildings?

“I’m not sure. The one back home is just in the middle of the village, but I guess it would be fancier in the city.” Pink shrugged. 

“You have one in your village?”

“Yep! I’ve already attuned to it, so I can go home real fast whenever I so choose.”

“Sounds pretty convenient. And you’re certain it’s safe?”

“I’ve done it a bunch of times. It's fine."

Azami still wasn't so certain, but Pink seemed to think it would be fine. She had witnessed other people using the aetherytes around the city, and they all seemed to be alright as well. Perhaps there truly was nothing to be afraid of?

"The only thing about aetherytes is that you have to pay a fee to use them." Pink explained, "They charge more the farther you teleport, so right now we can't afford to use one. But I'm sure that once we get a few more jobs under our belts we'll be able to pop right back to the city whenever we've finished out in the field."

"If we ever get that far." Azami grumbled. She couldn't help but be a little skeptical of their progress after spending the day with Pink. They had been at the most basic tasks for so long, and still they had only achieved one of their objectives.

"I'm sure the aetheryte is around here somewhere." Pink assured her, striding forward with a confidence that Azami was certain she had not earned. 

"Oh! Hello again!" Pink called, waving to somebody. Azami glanced over to who she was excitedly waving to. She thought that perhaps he was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place him. Before Azami could ask Pink for more information, the girl had run off to talk to him. Azami sighed and followed after her.

"My, my. It seems you two have been busy." the man greeted them with an irritating smirk. His eyes were hidden by tinted glasses, but Azami felt certain that the smile didn't reach them. Who was this guy, and what business of his was it what they had been up to?

"Uh-huh!" Pink nodded enthusiastically, "Thanks for helping us find the Adventurer's Guild before, by the way. It really helped us a lot."

Oh. So that was who this guy was. Azami thought he had looked familiar. 

"It was no trouble at all. From what I've heard, Mistress Momodi already has you two busy completing some small tasks."

"Yes. We were actually in the middle of one right now. Do you know which direction it is to the Aetheryte Plaza? I fear we've gotten a little turned around."

The man tutted at Pink softly before saying, "I told you before, didn't I? That advice earlier was all you would get out of me for free."

"How much could pointing in a direction possibly cost?" Azami scoffed. 

"That depends upon how much it is worth to you." The man replied. The arrogance in his voice was galling.

"The way I figure it, there are only so many places it can be in this city. We can just keep walking until we find it."

"Too true, but then you would be missing out on some valuable work." the man flashed her a somewhat predatory grin, "And from what I've heard, you two just spent the last of your gil on a broken pot."

Azami started. How could he possibly have heard about that? It happened mere moments ago. Was he spying on them? For what purpose? They weren't anybody worth watching. Just two adventurers fresh off the carriage. There had to be something more to it, but Azami had no idea what it might have been.

"Now, then. If you want directions to the Aetheryte Plaza, I'll have you complete a small task for me." the man explained, "Who knows, there might even be some gil in it for you as well."

Azami glanced at Pink. The girl gave her a smile and a shrug for her troubles. It seemed that they had little choice. Azami sighed and turned her gaze back to the smug man. "Fine. What task would you have of us?"

"You, lass, need to work on talking to clients. That scowl of yours isn't going to win you any friends." the man teased as he fished something from his sleeve. It was a small roll of paper, sealed with wax. Azami took it and tucked it safely in her bag.

"You assume that I'm here to make friends."

"You'll need them, whether you like it or not, lass."

"That's what I said!" Pink chimed in. She nodded enthusiastically, apparently pleased that somebody agreed with her. Azami sighed. Whatever.

"Now, all I need is for you to deliver that missive to the clerk at the Platinum Mirage. Tell him ol' Wymond sent you." Wymond, Azami supposed, said, "Now if only all work were that easy."

"If only." Azami shrugged. She was planning on heading to the Platinum Mirage on her own regardless. It seemed he was giving her an opportunity to get that out of the way while earning herself a little extra gil. But what was in it for him? Perhaps he would call upon her later for some favor or another? Well, that would be future Azami's problem. Current Azami needed the work, no matter how slimy the client seemed to be.

"And when I return you'll point us towards the Aetheryte Plaza?" Azami confirmed. Wymond nodded, before gesturing off to a building towards her left. She noticed a sign with a fist on it near the entrance. That must have been the Platinum Mirage she had heard so much about.

"I'll be right back." she promised, heading towards the door. Pink, it seemed, had decided to stay with Wymond, pestering him with questions. Azami considered waiving the monetary fee, given how much trouble the poor man would have to go through.

The first thing Azami noticed as she passed through the double doors was the noise. Shouting and jeering and cheers echoed off of the walls. The guild was set up in much the same manner as the others she had visited during her accidental tour of the city with Pink. An upper level where spectators and the counter overlooked a pit where it seemed the actual work of the guild was done. 

The lower level was a blur of activity. Despite the late hour, the pit seemed full to bursting with people of all shapes and sizes. Two large square sandy pits had been set up. Both were occupied by a pair of pugilists sparring. Each lined with students waiting their turn in the ring, cheering or mocking or offering advice. One wall was lined with striking dummies, where an obviously new student was learning how to throw a punch without dropping their hora all over the place.

Azami walked up to the woman at the counter and handed over the missive.

"I've been asked to deliver this to you." she said.

"A missive from Wymond, is it?" the unimpressed looking hyur at the counter sighed as she took the paper from her hands. She looked it over before mumbling something about vultures. She waited another long moment before she looked back up at her with a disapproving frown. 

"I was told to expect payment upon delivery." she clarified. The counterman rolled his eyes and fished some change from his pocket. About one hundred gil in assorted sizes. Azami shoved the change into her pouch. She would have to remember to split it with Pink when she saw her again. If only to serve as a finder's fee. 

When Azami didn't immediately depart the woman at the counter sighed and rolled her eyes once more, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I would like to join this guild." Azami answered in an equally brisk tone, "Please."

"Gagaruna! This one's for you." the woman called back somewhere behind the counter. After a moment of waiting, Azami saw a smiling lalafell bounding up to the counter. He hopped up onto some sort of stool and looked her over.

"Greetings and welcome to the Pugilist Guild!" He greeted her warmly, "I see you already walk the path of the pugilist. Yet your journey has only just begun. I highly recommend you add your name to our roll, for there is no better place in all the realm to train in our discipline than here."

"That... was the idea, yes." Azami looked at the man with a confused frown. 

"Just bear with me. I have a whole speech I have to get through." the lalafell offered with an embarrassed smile and a shrug. Azami nodded and waited for him to continue, "The origins of pugilism as we know it can be traced back to the staging of bare-handed bouts at the Coliseum. These contests attracted fighters from far and wide, bringing their myriad styles crashing together on the bloodsands."

Azami cocked her head to the side slightly. Did she really need to learn the history of punching things to learn how to punch? Was this a form of advertising, or a method of weeding out applicants? Azami couldn't tell. Heedless of her disinterest, the lalafell continued giving her a history lesson.

"Amidst these chaotic intermingling of styles, there rose a pugilist of singular strength and skill. This woman made it her life's mission to master every form she encountered, that she might refine her art. Among her many song-worthy exploits, we pugilists remember her participation in a gladiator tournament most fondly." 

If he said so. Such single-minded enthusiasm sounded exhausting to deal with. A woman who made it her mission to fight every person she came across would quickly wear out her welcome, at least as far as Azami could tell. Perhaps the woman simply had a lot of passion. Passion could have inspired others to look the other way when it came to her more irritating tendencies. That was the most charitable interpretation of the story she had been able to come up with. 

The lalafell looked at her expectantly, as if he were waiting on her to say something. Had he asked her a question? 

"Yes." Azami said quickly, hoping that it was the correct answer.

"Full glad am I to hear it. Master Hamon is among the greatest pugilists of our time. For long years the man ruled the bloodsands as the Holyfist, though he has since retired in favor of training aspiring fighters." the lalafell pointed to a man standing above the fighting pits below. His skin tanned and leathery, "You will find him overseeing his charges yonder. Go now and show to him the fighting spirit that burns within you!"

Azami wasn't certain that what she had within her was a fighting spirit, but hopefully it would be near enough so as not to matter. She wandered over to the leathery hyur. He didn't turn to look at her when she approached, instead responding apparently only to her footsteps.

"Heh heh... Past time you got your arse back here." The "Master" said in an oily voice that made her skin crawl. Although she couldn't see his face, Azami felt as though he had a nasty smile, "Well? What did the dancer have to say about my... proposition?"

"Don't know anything about dancing." Azami replied dismissively, "But I'm told you're who I want to talk to if I want to join this guild?"

He wheeled on her quickly, eyes wide with terror at the sudden realization, "Eh?! Y-you're not my errand boy! There is no dancer- there never was! I'm not doing anything indecent, I swear to the gods!"

"Right." Azami couldn't help but quirk a wry smile. If her parents could see her now, earnestly planning on becoming a student of such an indecent man. Her father would surely die of shame on the spot. Her mother would drag her back to the farm by her horns. Or would her mother laugh? It could have gone either way.

She straightened her face and fixed him with an impatient stare, "So are you going to teach me how to fight or what?"

"What? You're here to enroll?" He said, sounding like he wasn't quite sure what those words meant. Was he quite alright? It might have been Azami's imagination, but she thought she could smell a hint of whisky in the air. There was an uncomfortably long pause before something clicked behind his eyes. Finally, he burst into a bright smile, "Ohoho, well, why didn't you say so sooner? In my capacity of guild master, I would be glad to give you a primer on the art of hand-to-hand combat!"

With a speed that belied his age, the man began to perform a series of punches. He ran through what seemed to be a repeated combination of the moves while explaining, "You'll also learn to string them together to deliver an endless flurry of blows! Only through such fierce combinations can a pugilist realize his potential!"

With a croaky battle cry, he sped up into a flurry of blows. Azami watched his movements carefully, trying to take in every detail from his footing to how his body twisted with every punch. It was true that he seemed to be nothing more than a lecherous old drunk, but he was also supposedly a master of the style. Surely there would be something worth learning from him.

His blows against the air began to slow, and eventually trickled to a stop. With his hands on his knees, the old man began to wheeze, "Crikey, I'm spent from all this talking. You ought to speak more, lass- it'd give me a chance to catch my breath. But where was I?"

Surely there must have been something she could learn. Well, she supposed, if he couldn't be trusted to serve as a teacher, he could at least serve her as a terrible warning. About the dangers of drinking and growing old. Azami nodded to herself, promising that she would never become a sorry old drunk like the man before her.

"Yes, you have fighting spirit- I can see it in your eyes. I see no reason to deny you a place in these halls. Welcome to the guild, lass." her new master beamed at her. Azami blinked. Had he asked her a question? 

"Great. When can I start?" she asked, beyond ready to begin her training. The sooner she got his go ahead, the sooner she would be able to take on more lucrative jobs. 

"Eager, are we?" he asked before belting out a laugh, "Don't blame you. It's not every day you become a student of Hamon Holyfist!"

Azami opened her mouth to point out that he hadn't actually answered her question when a lalafellen woman strode over to them. She looked Azami over for a moment before asking, "Is this a new student, Master?"

"Ah! Chuchuto! Yes, this young lass just signed our roster." Master Hamon confirmed.

"I... uh... actually haven't signed anything. Do you need me to sign something?" Azami asked. Chuchuto sighed and shook her head with a fond smile. 

"Master Hamon gets overexcited and forgets such details. Don't you worry, I'll take things from here, Master." she promised, motioning for Azami to follow her. Azami walked with her back to the desk, where she was presented with another book to sign her name in.

"So... When do we start?" she asked, hoping that the lalafell would be more helpful than their master. Chuchuto hummed in response, looking her over before glancing at a chronometer on the wall.

"It's getting late. There isn't much we could accomplish by starting now." she hummed, "Report to me first thing tomorrow morning! Come ready to sweat!"

"I see. I will come first thing in the morning." Azami promised with a bow. She took a moment to look over the pits below and observe the more experienced students. Aside from one who was obviously a newer recruit, they all seemed so confident. She supposed they would have to be, going up against people armed with swords and axes with naught but their own two fists.

It seemed like the lalafell... Azami needed to make note of her name. It had started with a chyu, hadn't it? Chuychyu...ko? That sounded about right. Chyuchyuko was going to be the one to take over her training. Azami could hardly complain. Despite her small size, the older student seemed a lot more put together than her "master" had. 

A smaller stature would probably work better, given what she knew of their fighting style. Slipping through the cracks and delivering a series of blows was easier for someone who was smaller. She hoped. Azami was fairly confident in her own strength after her life of working in the fields. But would that be enough to help her put power behind her blows? Standing around wondering would do her no good. Besides, Pink was no doubt beginning to grate on poor Wymond's nerves. 

With a small sigh, she prepared to move on when somebody shouted, "Hey, you! I saw you lookin’ at me."

Azami paused and looked around. She saw the man who shouted, a rough looking hyur with an unpleasant scowl. Was he shouting at her? She didn't realize that she had been staring at him, lost in her own thoughts as she had been. What a bother. She shrugged and made to leave once more.

"Hey! I'm talkin' at you." he advanced on her, climbing over the banister to speak to her face to chest. Azami wasn't exactly intimidated by his large stature. She had grown up around men who were fulms taller than she her entire life. Still, he was being irritating and loud and  _ in her way _ .

"And I do not care." she scoffed, "If you'll excuse me, I've places to be."

The man made a loud noise of disbelief, bending down to get a better look at her unimpressed face. 

"You wanna try that again?" he snarled, his breath sour. Eyes flashed as he realized just how unafraid she was. No doubt he was used to pushing people around.

"The only reason I'm lookin' at your ugly mug is because it's in my fucking face." she sneered back at him, knowing how foolish she was being. He was bigger and stronger and undoubtedly more skilled than she was. She hadn't even had her first lesson yet. All her mouthing off was going to accomplish was getting her a bloodied nose and a blackened eye. If she was lucky.

Almost by instinct, Azami began running an inventory in her mind. She was small and quick, with decent stamina. It was possible that she could tire him out by being too difficult to hit, if it came to that. Returning fire would be something of an issue, given her lack of training. There didn't seem to be any objects nearby that she could use as an improvised weapon either. What would happen if she did get hit? It would hurt, that much was certain. How high was her pain threshold? How many hits could she take before she could no longer continue? There was only one way to find out, she supposed. But it would be best if it didn't come to that.

To her surprise, the man laughed. He clapped her on the shoulder roughly, "You've got guts! Bugger all for brains, but guts. I like that."

Azami paused, uncertain about what was happening. Her mental arithmetic having been thrown off by the sudden change in atmosphere. Were they going to get into a fight or not? 

"Yer a 'venturer, right?" the man asked. Azami nodded confirmation, still uncertain as to what was happening, "I've got a job for you. You know Didilata? Short, broke, never pays what he owes?"

"I can't say that I do. I've only gotten to the city today." she explained. He frowned and thought for a moment.

"Well, that bleedin' whoreson owes me. Tell him to pay up, or I swear by the Twelve Gelther'll beat him so hard it'll feel like the second comin' of Dalamud!"

"I see. What does he look like?"

The imposing man gave her a brief physical description of her quarry. Dark skin and hair with yellow eyes. Usually hanging out near the Thaumaturgy Guild. She nodded and made a mental note of it. Didila...to? Whatever. She was certain that he would be easy enough to identify.

"I'd do it myself, but if I see that little shite’s face, I’ll end up poundin' him into a bloody pulp, like as not."

"I assume I can expect to be paid for my services."

"I'll pay you by not breaking yer ribs."

"If I were afraid of a few broken ribs, I wouldn't have joined this guild, now would I?"

The man, Gelthur she supposed, laughed and clapped her on the shoulder once more. It was difficult to tell where she stood with this strange man. Were all the people in this guild so odd? Azami hoped that she would be able to keep to herself if that were the case.

"I like you, Tiny. I'll buy you a drink after you've finished." he promised. Somehow, Azami didn't think that she was going to get a better offer.

"Sounds good." she shrugged, choosing to ignore the obnoxious nickname he had bestowed upon her. Tiny? How dare he! It wasn't her fault that she was so short! She had drank so much milk as a child. It wasn't fair.

She bustled past her new acquaintance and made her way back outside of the guild. Pink was still chattering away at an increasingly dismayed Wymond.

"Ah! You've returned!" he brightened at her presence, clearly grateful that his ordeal had ended. Azami only felt a little bit guilty for leaving him to babysit Pink while she had been away. He was, after all, still a sleeze. 

"Welcome back! Did you have fun?" Pink asked. Azami chose to ignore her for now. This wasn't about having fun. This was about working.

"So. Where's that Aetheryte Plaza?" she asked. Wymond pointed vaguely to the street opposite the Pugilist guild. 

"See that building there? That's the Hall of Flames." he explained, "Right next door is the Aetheryte Plaza."

"So... It's literally just... that right there." Azami confirmed, pointing at the archway. In the dwindling evening light she could see a faint blue light emanating from inside. 

"That's it." Wymond confirmed. Azami clenched her jaw so as not to let out the heavy sigh that lived in her chest. Had he really made her go through all that trouble, when he could have pointed it out? Well, at least she had been able to cross another objective off her list. And she had gotten paid for her services. She couldn't complain overmuch. Even if this city and everyone in it was ridiculous.

"That reminds me, Pink." Azami fished out fifty gil in assorted coins and handed it to her partner, "Here's your share."

"But you did all the work!" Pink protested, attempting to force the gil back into her hands.

"It's a finder's fee. Take the fucking gil." Azami pushed the hand away, but Pink wouldn't be dissuaded. She thrust the gil back out for Azami to take.

"You need it more than I do."

"Nonsense! I already have another job lined up."

Pink paused, suddenly seeming very excited. Her ears wiggled as she asked, "You got a job all by yourself?"

"Yes?"

"You mean you talked to someone in need and agreed to help them? On your own?"

"No, they approached me."

"Oh..." Pink's enthusiasm melted away quickly, her ears and tail drooping. Azami clicked her tongue in annoyance. It wasn't worth arguing the point. Why did she even care how they had gotten the job? The point was that they had gotten it.

"'Course... he's not paying in gil." Azami grumbled, heading for the Plaza. Pink zipped ahead of her, arms stretched out on either side as if she were mimicking an airship. 

"A favor then?" Pink asked spinning to look at Azami.

"A drink."

Pink slowed to a stop, thinking deeply about what Azami had said. Azami kept walking, brushing past her as she entertained whatever strange notions went on in that little head of hers. Hopefully she wouldn't strain herself.

"So... a date?" Pink asked.

"Hardly." Azami scoffed. Although, now that Pink had mentioned it... No. That would be absurd. It was just a drink after work. She doubted she was even his type. This was ridiculous. Pink giggled and ran past her once more.

"Azami's got a daaate~" she sang.

"By the Kami. What are you, twelve?"

"Azami and... Hey, what's the client's name?"

"I don't remember. Gumbo or something."

"How do you not remember? What's the job, anyway?"

"I'm supposed to track down some lalafell and tell him that Geralt wants his money."

Pink sighed and shook her head. "That's no good! What's the lalafell's name?"

"I... think it started with an L?"

"Azami!"

"It's fine." Azami assured her distressed companion. Poor girl clearly needed time to get used to how these things were done. A job where the reward was a single drink was hardly a priority. "I have a physical description to go off of, and I can probably fake my way through the names if I have to."

"I can't leave you to do anything on your own, can I?" Pink shook her head slowly. Azami opened her mouth to retort, but found the words dying in her throat. It would be better to simply leave it be, she decided.

"It'll be fine. Anyway, Aetheryte." Azami pointed to the massive stone, hoping to distract Pink.

It was as massive as had been advertised, a towering floating stone that was easily as tall as a house. Around the glowing blue crystal was a ring of wrought metal, hovering and spinning slowly. Azami wondered what the ring was for. Was it what kept the aetheryte aloft? As for the crystal itself, it glowed brightly bathing the room in a soft blue light.

Pink raced ahead, holding her hand up to the strange crystal. Azami slowly followed, raising her hand to attune to the crystal as she had the others. For all the good it did her. Azami still wasn't certain she would even be able to utilize the aetheryte network, given her condition. Perhaps one of the attendants would be able to tell her more about it?

Luckily, she didn't need to stop and look for one. A lalafellen man in a uniform approached her quickly.

"Hail, adventurers! Might you have come at the behest of Miss Momodi of the Quicksand?" the man offered them a hearty greeting and a smile. Azami nodded. 

"We sure did!" Pink confirmed loudly. Azami had thought that a simple nod would have sufficed.

"Excellent. Which brings me to the matter of the attunement fee- that will be one hundred thousand gil, if you please, madam." 

"What?" Pink gasped, quickly spiraling into a panic, "I... I didn't know there would be a fee! I'm sorry! I don't have that much money. Can I unattune?"

The lalafell quicly burst into a hearty laugh at poor Pink's reaction. Azami bit her tongue to hold back her own laughter.

"Apologies, but I do so relish the opportunity to make that jest. The look on your face was absolutely priceless!" he laughed, "Ah, but the fact that you were so easily decieved suggests to me that you are unfamiliar with the use of aetherytes."

"No! I know lots about using aetherytes!" Pink protested. She flashed him an awkward smile, "It's just everything here in the city is so expensive! I wouldn't be surprised if there were fees for something like that."

The attendant nodded solemnly. Everything in Ul'dah did seem to come with a price. It seemed unusual that something as convenient as teleportation would come without one. Azami didn't actually know who ran the aetheryte system. Were they not involved in the government in Thanalan? How puzzling.

"There are no fees to attune to any aetheryte in Eorzea. Disregard anyone who tells you otherwise." the man explained patiently, "You should keep your wits about you. That naivety of yours will lead some unscrupulous types to take advantage of you if you're not careful."

"Yes..." Pink wilted under his gentle scolding. Azami gently reached out to pat the girl on the shoulder. Being so quickly to take others at their word shouldn't have been as dangerous as it was. If everyone were so honest, perhaps the world would have been a better place. But that wasn't the world they lived in. Until Pink could learn to stand on her own, Azami would just have to make certain she didn't run headlong into any lies spun by clever tongues.

"I did have one other question." Azami said. She paused, embarrassed to even speak of it. It was such a shameful thing, truly, "I... have a condition. I'm unable to use most forms of magic. If I were to try to use an aetheryte... would... would that be safe for someone like me?"

The attendant mulled the question over for a short time. Without knowing the full extent of her problem, there was no way to be certain what would happen if she tried. Finally he seemed to come to a conclusion, "Well, if you truly are unable to use the Teleport or Return spells, then they would fail before your body broke down to travel along the aether currents."

"Before my what does what now?" Azami asked.

"Ah. Well, the mechanics of those spells aren't as dangerous as they sound. With the Aetherytes in place teleportation is perfectly safe! We have never lost a customer." the attendant assured her.

"What do you mean lost?"

"Well, to cast a teleportation spell- Either Teleport or Return- you must break your body down into its base components. Namely, aether, and set it adrift in the Aethereal Sea." the attendant said, clearly attempting to assuage her fears, "These aetherytes serve as beacons, pulling your aether out of the Aetheral Sea and reconstituting it here in the material world."

"That sounds... dangerous."

"It's totally safe!" Pink chimed in, "I use Teleport all the time to get home real fast!"

"Back before we had aetherytes teleportation magic was extremely dangerous." the attendant conceded, "But with the aetherytes it's safer than any form of travel. As I said, we have never lost a customer."

"And... the spell would fail before I actually broke down into aether if I really can't cast it?" Azami asked.

"Absolutely."

Azami nodded and thanked the man for his time. Somehow, she still wasn't convinced. Teleportation would have to be a last resort. Her own two legs could carry her wherever she needed to go, or if she needed to cross another ocean she could find a boat. There was no need to risk her life by plunging herself into the Lifestream all willy nilly. 

There was but one stop left on their itinerary. They needed to get Pink to the Thaumaturgy Guild. If Azami had heard Momodi correctly, then it would be at the end of the street they had been walking down. They simply needed to keep heading in the direction they had been.

While they walked, Azami couldn't keep her troubling thoughts at bay. The attendant had said that it was perfectly safe, but he would say that, wouldn't he? He had a vested interest in convincing people to use the teleportation network. Surely people would be hesitant to do so if they were informed that it was less than safe.

She simply didn't know enough about it to dispute him with anything other than possibly unfounded fears. Still, even knowing that she did not know wouldn't quiet her fears. Azami decided that perhaps speaking them aloud might help. Pink was- at least theoretically- versed in magic of some kind or another. Perhaps she would understand it better than she had. 

"Hey Pink." she said, catching her companion's attention.

"U'rabta." Pink supplied her name once more. Azami shook her head. Pink suited her just fine.

"So, like... Oh... how do I put this? I'm me, right?" she started.

"Uh...huh." Pink nodded slowly, not certain what Azami was trying to get at.

"So... if I were to cast a Teleport spell, and broke myself down into aether, would the me that reformed on the other side still be me? Or would this me have effectively died and been replaced by an identical copy?"

"Well... It's all the same aether, it's just moved. I don't see why it wouldn't be the same you." Pink hummed as she thought about the question, "Besides, if the copy is identical in every way- with all of the same thoughts and feelings and memories and stuff- I don't see how that would be any different from it being the same as the original you."

"But it would be different, wouldn't it? Because the original me got broken down at the start."

"No, no. It's just like how if you load some crates onto a cart and move them. The crates aren't different crates when they reach their destination."

"But putting a crate onto a cart is different from teleporting, isn't it?"

"I... suppose... Alright, well, if you take the crate apart and transport the planks of wood and nails, and then reassemble it exactly how it was at the start. That would make it the same crate, wouldn't it?"

"I don't think it would. Even if you managed to get everything literally exactly how it had been at the start, the act of breaking it down in the first place must change it in some way."

"I think that it wouldn't, unless you messed up the position of the planks or nails. Or mixed one crate's parts up with another's and ended up replacing some parts along the way."

"Is... is that a thing that can happen?"

"With crates? Yes."

"With Teleport."

"No, I don't think so."

"Do you know so?"

"Alright, well, replacing a plank or two wouldn't make it a different crate anyway. I mean, replacing a bowstring doesn't make it a different bow, does it?"

"Are we talking about bows now?"

"No, I suppose not."

They lapsed into silence. Azami silently cursed herself for thinking that Pink could be anywhere even close to helpful with something like this.

"Teleporting really scares you, huh?" Pink asked. 

"Nothing scares me." Azami answered almost automatically. That, of course, was a lie. There were many things that frightened her, but all of them paled in comparison to one in particular. To avoid the thing she was most afraid of, Azami could face any danger. Perhaps even casting Teleport.

"Well, I suppose we don't have to teleport to places if you don't want to." Pink said in a tone that was obviously trying for placating, "We can walk. We wouldn't have to pay teleportation fees that way! And it would be better exercise!" 

"It just doesn't sound safe. That's all." 

"But the nice attendant said that they've never ever lost a customer!"

"Why would he say anything else? He wants us to use the Aetherytes. It makes him money."

"Do you think he would lie about something like that just for a few extra gil?"

"People lie about stuff like that all the time to make a few extra gil. It's how they become billionaires." Azami growled, "That and stealing money from their employees."

"Wow, that sounds really awful. But don't you want to become a billionaire?"

"What? No!" Azami bristled at the thought. She wanted coin, yes, but to amass billions was immoral. Even if she came by it honestly, through her own efforts. How could she hoard an obscene amount of wealth like that and still consider herself to be anything resembling a decent person? "I'm not just saving up gil because it's fun, Pink. I need the money."

"What for?"

"It's personal."

"You can tell me!" Pink continued to prod. Azami wheeled on her, her expression cold and stony.

"I don't want to talk about it, alright?" she said slowly, enunciating every word to ensure that Pink understood. Pink huffed and turned away from her.

"Fine, fine. I was just curious." she pouted. 

Azami rolled her eyes and kept moving. She knew it would be ridiculous to feel guilty for setting boundaries. Her past, her quest, it was all so personal to her. Where did Pink get off thinking she could pry information like that out of someone she had known for less than a day? 

"It's painful. Even to think about." Azami admitted when the unwarranted guilt became too much to bear. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I won't bring it up again." Pink said softly. Azami hadn't known the girl for long, but she didn't think that she would go back on her promise. Pink was too honest for such things.

"It's fine. Let's just forget it." Azami flashed her a small smile, and just like that the atmosphere between them cleared. Pink brightened up as if she had never experienced doubt or anxiety in her entire life. Azami wished she could do that. Flip a switch and be perfectly fine in an instant. 

As she turned back to watch where they were going, Azami noticed a figure in a corner. A lalafell with dark skin and hair, with golden eyes. She pointed at him and called out, "You there!"

"Oh, g-g-gods be good—Gelther’s g-g-goons!" the lalafell squeaked out the moment their eyes met. Gelther? Had that been the name of her client? It could have been. She decided to move past it. Azami approached the man. He pressed himself against the wall he had been standing against, his eyes darting around for any escape.

"He sent me-"

"A-alright, alright! I'll give back every gil I owe! I swear it! B-but no more beatings, I b-b-beg you!" the lalafell pleaded and cowered in his little corner. Azami almost felt for him.

"I'm not going to beat you. Gelther is. I was just sent to let you know."

The lalafell wailed in despair, searching his pockets desperately for coin that he knew wasn't there. She was definitely going to have to ask Gunther for more than a simple mug of ale as recompense for this. Eventually, her target found what he had been searching for. Slowly, almost reverently, he pulled a small tarnished ring from his pocket and held it out to her.

"Look, I haven't g-g-got the gil on hand, but I do have this ring! Ain't m-m-much to look at, but it'll surely fetch a high price." he explained. Azami was skeptical, but took the ring anyway. 

"Was me dear departed mum's wedding ring, g-g-gods rest her soul. But she'll understand! Show it to Mamane, over at the Ossuary, and you'll g-g-get your coin!"

"Pretend I'm new in town." Azami said, slipping the ring into her pocket, "Where's this Ossuary."

"It's j-just down the road. Inside the Thaumaturgy Guild." her new client stammered. Azami nodded. That sounded fine by her. She could deliver what little coin the scrap of twisted copper would fetch her and give it to the big guy. That might buy the pathetic trembling mass before her a little more time, and earn her more than a drink for her trouble. It was a win for everyone involved.

"Well, we were heading there anyway." Azami shrugged, "I guess we can do you this favor."

"You will?" the lalafell looked up at Azami with tears in his eyes, "Thank you! Thank you! Gods bless you, miss."

"Right." Azami mumbled before wandering away. Such heartfelt thanks were so uncomfortable to witness. It was somehow even worse when she was the target of such things. She hadn't even done anything for him other than take his trash somewhere they were already going. How much of his hope was riding on this worthless ring? Azami almost felt guilty for taking the job.

"It was nice of you to help him like that." Pink said once they were out of earshot.

"I'm not doing it for him." she shrugged, "I might be able to wrangle some actual coin out of this job if I go above and beyond like this."

Pink didn't respond, only flashed one of her irritating knowing smirks before dashing off towards something in the distance. Azami caught a flash of blue and sighed. Another damned aetheryte, was it? She wandered over to attune as well. If she was going to do this, she may as well go all the way.

"The guild should be right up these steps." Pink said. Azami nodded.

"There's probably going to be paperwork. Do you need me to come with you?"

"Was there paperwork with your guild?"

"I had to sign the registrar and some other things. Will they even let you into this guild if you can't read?"

Pink began to dart up the stairs, taking them two at a time in her enthusiasm. At the top she turned to grin at Azami. She announced in that same chipper tone, "I don't see why not! Magic isn't about reading, it's about feeling!"

Azami frowned at Pink's odd statement. She had thought that magic would involve a lot of reading dusty old tomes and strict control. Was it really just about feeling it out? Mages must have been a dangerous lot if that were the case.

"Yeah! I'm only here because the village elders said I should get some proper instruction." Pink carried on heedless of Azami's thoughtful frown, "You set the springs on fire one time and suddenly you're a menace and a danger to the tribe."

"You did what?" Azami asked.

"Nobody was in them at the time, and I put it out! It was fine."

"I... I see."

Mages really were dangerous after all. 

Azami shrugged and ascended the stairs. Together she and Pink opened the tall doors and walked inside.

The Thaumaturge's Guild was different from all of the others they had been to that day. Instead of having a pit with materials and workers, the large circular room was lined with bookshelves that stretched to the high ceiling. A row of pillars separated the entrance from what Azami assumed to be the guild proper. Curiously, Azami peeked around one of them, seeing five hooded lalafell sitting on a pile of books and discussing something. Magic, Azami assumed.

Pink had darted straight to the counter.

"Hello! I would like to become a Thaumaturge, please!" she bubbled at the poor lalafell who had the misfortune to be manning the counter as she approached.

"A wise decision indeed. To prepare for your initiation, I would have you study the volumes of fundamental thaumaturgical principle." the woman said. Pink visibly deflated at the mention of reading so many texts. At least with so much practice, she would finally learn her letters, Azami mused. The woman smirked at the crestfallen girl before continuing, "All one hundred and eight of them."

"That's so many!" Pink gasped. The woman continued to smirk cruelly at the poor girl before finally putting her out of her misery.

"Or at least, I  _ would _ if such requirements had not been abolished. 'Too great a deterrent to fresh novices,' they said. I suppose you shall just have to settle for calling upon the collective wisdom of our guild masters."

Pink spared a glance to Azami, who shrugged in return. She was certain that they hadn't misheard. There were multiple guild masters? Was that allowed?

The clerk continued speaking, ignoring their curious shrugs, "We have five, you see—all brothers of the same house. Though they all wield supreme authority, it is the eldest who provides a singular voice for the guild when one is required. Master Coco… Cocoby…? Cocobygo! …I believe."

"You go introduce yourself to the guild masters." Azami said, "I'll wait for you here."

"Alright! I'll be right back!" Pink promised before darting off to the area behind the pillars. Azami took the opportunity to step up to the desk.

"I take it you're not here to join our ranks?" the woman looked her over coldly. Azami shrugged.

"No, I was just looking for the Ossuary. I need to have something appraised." she explained. The woman pointed to another lalafell who was standing idly by one of the pillars. Azami nodded her thanks before approaching. She slipped her hand into her pocket and retrieved the ring. 

"Greetings, adventurer. What brings you to Arrzaneth Ossuary?" the woman asked as she approached.

Azami held the ring out to the woman, "Some skittish lalafell asked me to have this appraised on his behalf. A big angry guy is planning on breaking all of his bones if he doesn't come up with some gil quickly."

"It is most unfortunate when such drastic measures must be taken." the woman tutted as she plucked the ring from Azami's hand and looked it over. She scarcely glanced at it before letting out a tired sigh, "And doubly so when the item in question is a  _ fake _ . And such a gaudy, poorly wrought one!"

"Fake, huh." Azami crossed her arms. That was inconvenient, "Then it appears I've wasted both of our times. My apologies."

"You  _ do _ know that our appraisals are not free?" the woman scolded. Azami had assumed as much, "Normally, this fee is subtracted from the agreed value. Alas, considering the negligible value of this ring, I'm afraid you would still owe us."

That little shite. Azami hoped that the appraisal wouldn't cost more than fifty gil. Otherwise she was going to have to break all the pathetic little mess's bones herself. This was what charity got her! Dragged into somebody else's debts.

As if sensing her thoughts, the woman shrugged, "However, since this is a rather unusual circumstance, we shall waive the fee this once. No need to concern yourself with the bauble—I will personally see to its disposal."

"I apologize for the inconvenience." Azami bowed to the woman. 

It was that moment that Pink decided to trot back. She beamed at Azami, choosing to ignore her irritated scowl for the time being. Instead, she twirled with enthusiasm before grabbing Azami's hand and practically skipping back towards the desk.

"All that's left is for me to sign the roster! You'll help me, won't you?"

"That's why I came with you." Azami sighed, allowing herself to be dragged along in the girl's wake, "So they're fine with you not being able to read any of their... 'volumes of thaumaterlogical principle'?"

"It's fine as long as I work hard on learning my letters from here on out!"

And who was going to have to help her with that, Azami wondered with a resigned sigh. She picked up the pen and signed Pink's name in all of the places indicated to her by the surly counterwoman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself that I wasn't going to end this chapter until they finally signed those guild rosters. It ended up not being as long as I feared it would. This chapter ended up taking a couple odd detours, but I'm not going to edit them out. Because reasons.
> 
> In other news, I am planning on starting a personal project that doesn't have anything to do with this website. I'm hoping to still be able to post a chapter a week here, but if push comes to shove the other project has priority. I apologize for any inconvenience.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this whole thing. The original draft of this was quite a bit longer (it went all the way through Momodi's speech and to the girls joining their respective guilds), but that felt like it was getting too long for me. So, you guys will be getting the second half later after I finish editing it. What do you think? Should I release longer chapters like that, or should I try to keep things around 2-5k words long?
> 
> I'm hoping to post something to this site about once a week. Including this fic, I have one other long project that I'm working on. I'll start posting that one once I've finished writing the outline for it. It's going to be a sort of continuation of the one-shot I wrote On the Flip of a Coin. By which I mean it will contain certain elements of that fic, but I don't know if that one will be canon to that story yet.


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